Point shaving

Point shaving, in organized sports, is a type of match fixing where the perpetrators try to prevent a team from covering a published point spread. Unlike other forms of match fixing, sports betting drives point shaving. A point shaving scheme generally involves a sports gambler and a player of a sports team working in concert. In exchange for a bribe, the player or players ensure that their team will not cover the point spread. The gambler then wagers against that team.

Related Topics:
Sport - Match fixing - Point spread - Sports betting - Bribe

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Point shaving occurs most frequently in amateur and collegiate sports, whose athletes are presumably more vulnerable to a gambler's bribery than professionals. Professional-level players earn significant sums of money each year, whereas collegiate players are prevented by strict regulations from earning compensation for their play.

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Basketball is a particularly easy medium for shaving points because of the scoring tempo of the game and the ease at which one player can influence key events. By deliberately missing shots, committing well-timed turnovers or fouls, a corrupt player can covertly ensure that his team fails to cover the point spread, without causing them to lose the game (or to lose so badly that suspicions are aroused). Although the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) has adopted a zero tolerance policy with respect to gambling activity by its players, some critics believe it unwittingly encourages point-shaving due to its strict rules regarding amateurism, combined with the large amount of money wagered on its games.

Related Topics:
Basketball - Point spread - NCAA - Zero tolerance - Gambling - Amateurism

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