The bookies took 10 times the usual bets last weekend, all on Rushden to win, after Weymouth’s youth team were fielded when the club’s senior players went on strike over a medical insurance dispute. The young team was comprehensively defeated 9 – 0.
This is the key fact …
Rushden were at 6/4 (2.50 decimal / +150 US lines) to win the game against a normal team.
When the news broke (and it was pretty public – even my forum had a post of three about it) the price dropped – but only to 8/13 (1.61 decimal / -162 US lines).
At that price Rushden was still a huge betting gift to online punters that had the news.
Totesport was one of the first to suspend betting on Saturday morning after “smelling a rat”. Spokesman George Primarolo said: “The £1 million figure is about right. It has been taken off the bookies but there’s nothing untoward or suspiscious about it. People have got wind of the team news before the bookies have. This sort of thing happens in the lower leagues from time to time.
As ToteSport says – this happens in the lower leagues – where the level is semi=professional at best.