Corruption and Manipulation in Sports: Interdisciplinary Perspectives

Gaming Law Review and Economics, 17, 175-187, 2013

28 Pages Posted: 23 Feb 2014 Last revised: 2 Oct 2014

See all articles by Ryan M. Rodenberg

Ryan M. Rodenberg

Florida State University - College of Education; Florida State University - College of Law

Brian Tuohy

Independent

Richard Borghesi

University of South Florida

Katarina Pijetlovic

Tallinn University of Technology (TUT)

Sean Griffin

Independent

Date Written: 2013

Abstract

On October 12, 2012, Florida State University hosted a two-hour roundtable panel entitled “Corruption and Manipulation in Sports” in Tallahassee, Florida.1 Panelists included Rick Borghesi, Sean Patrick Griffin, Katarina Pijetlovic, Jeff Reel, and Brian Tuohy. Ryan Rodenberg moderated the multi-disciplinary symposium. The foci of the panel were two-fold. First, with integrity-related concerns central to the passage of the federal Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (“PASPA”) twenty years ago as a backdrop, speakers discussed discrete issues related to how sports can be corrupted and manipulated. Second, the panel sought to collectively provide a primer that academics and professionals working in the gaming or sports law realm could subsequently turn to as a guide. This paper represents an outgrowth of the panel, providing stand-alone pieces (by individual authors) on specific issues under the sports corruption/manipulation umbrella that were addressed during the symposium and relevant to legal and economic issues in the gaming sector, particularly sports-related gambling.

The result is an article reflective of how sports-related corruption and manipulation is interdisciplinary in nature. Ryan Rodenberg, an assistant professor of sports law analytics at Florida State University, penned the introduction to this article. In it, his aim was to provide a high-level outline of the relevant issues with citations to authority and illustrative examples. Independent author Brian Tuohy’s contribution introduces his findings from over 400 Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) files pertaining to sports bribery that he obtained via a number of requests under the Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”). University of South Florida associate professor of finance Rick Borghesi’s essay explains how he tested the so-called “widespread point shaving hypothesis” in college basketball. Tallin (Estonia) Law School professor Katarina Pijeltovic’s piece flags a number of important issues related to the “pandemic” of match-fixing in various European sports. Sean Patrick Griffin, an associate professor of criminal justice at Penn State Abington, provides an overview of the recent National Basketball Association (“NBA”) referee betting scandal and details his statistical analysis of line movements in connection therewith.

Keywords: Corruption, Manipulation, Sports Gambling, Point Shaving, Match Fixing, Referees

JEL Classification: G10, G14, G19, K42

Suggested Citation

Rodenberg, Ryan M. and Tuohy, Brian and Borghesi, Richard and Pijetlovic, Katarina and Griffin, Sean, Corruption and Manipulation in Sports: Interdisciplinary Perspectives (2013). Gaming Law Review and Economics, 17, 175-187, 2013, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2399687

Ryan M. Rodenberg

Florida State University - College of Education ( email )

Tully Gym 1002
1114 W. Call Street
Tallahassee, FL 32306-4450
United States
850-645-9535 (Phone)
850-644-0974 (Fax)

HOME PAGE: http://education.fsu.edu/faculty-and-staff/dr-ryan-rodenberg

Florida State University - College of Law ( email )

425 W. Jefferson Street
Tallahassee, FL 32306
United States
850-645-9535 (Phone)
850-644-0974 (Fax)

HOME PAGE: http://education.fsu.edu/faculty-and-staff/dr-ryan-rodenberg

Brian Tuohy

Independent ( email )

Richard Borghesi (Contact Author)

University of South Florida ( email )

4202 E Fowler Ave
Tampa, FL 33620
United States
941-359-4524 (Phone)
941-359-4367 (Fax)

HOME PAGE: http://usfsm.edu/academics/faculty-listing/dr-richard-borghesi.aspx

Katarina Pijetlovic

Tallinn University of Technology (TUT) ( email )

Ehitajate tee 5
Tallinn, 12618
Estonia

Sean Griffin

Independent ( email )

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