1xBet Fake Matches: The Industrial Scale Operation Uncovered
A landmark joint investigation by Bellingcat and the sports journalism platform Josimar revealed that 1xBet organizes and broadcasts hundreds of thousands of fake amateur matches every year. These are not real sporting events — they are staged performances in warehouses and converted arenas, with teams playing multiple rapid games back to back, changing shirts between matches to appear as different teams.
The scale is staggering: approximately 500,000 fake matches broadcast annually across sports including football, basketball, volleyball, tennis, table tennis, and unusual variations like 'Subsoccer' (bench football). Around 5 million viewers per month watch these fake events, unknowingly placing real bets on predetermined outcomes. Games run 24 hours a day to ensure continuous betting action.
Most disturbingly, investigators found that players as young as 14 years old were recruited to participate in these fake matches, including at venues in Russia (where 1xBet is officially banned), Belarus, and Ukraine. Venues include state-owned sports facilities, including one built for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The fake matches operate entirely outside any sporting federation oversight.
March 2025
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March 2025
