New Jersey shuts down Ukrainian ping-pong betting after match-fixing. Gaming Enforcement’s New Jersey Division suspended all bets on Ukrainian table tennis Thursday after an alert was sent by the Sports Wagering Integrity Monitoring Association about match-fixing concerns.
The alert went out on July 7, and also named individual players, according to an ESPN report. Colorado gaming regulators took the same precautions by asking sportsbooks in the state to take Ukrainian table tennis off the board on Thursday.
“While there is not yet any evidence that any match-fixing occurred in New Jersey, due to the nature of the alert, the Division is suspending approval for wagering on all table tennis events in the Ukraine, including, but not limited to, the Setka Cup, WIN Cup, and TT Cup,” the notice said.
Organizations like the International Table Tennis Federation, European Table Tennis Union, and even the Ukrainian Table Tennis Federation had shut down all of their sanctioned events by late March, just like most other sporting authorities.
However, unsanctioned events continued to be played. Some sportsbooks show matches over live streaming video. These contests typically take place in empty, tarped rooms, with just a scorekeeper and the two players present.
The Ukrainian Table Tennis Federation even attempted to crack down on the Setka Cup, threatening players with bans from future sanctioned events if they participated. The players took part anyway, and the federation disqualified 365 individuals as a result.
[image: Steven Skirritt]
