SFPL Player Gets Booked to Fix Bet365 Betting Market

Kane Hester, a famous soccer player a part of Elgin City, was accused of his alleged involvement in fraud against a bookmaker along with multiple other individuals, a report reveals. On Tuesday, BBC revealed that Hester, along with three other men, were accused of participating in a fraudulent scheme to defraud Bet365, the famous bookmaker.

Besides the soccer player, other alleged participants in the activity include Findlay Soutar, Calvin Parrott and Brodie Myres. Allegedly, the four men hit some £17,333 ($14,600) in winnings from Bet365. It is believed from the total, some £13,583 ($11,500) in winnings were obtained thanks to the illegal activity.

The fraudulent scheme reportedly dates back to 2019. Back then, for a game from the Scottish League Cup, Hester received a yellow card. The three other participants allegedly placed multiple wagers just before the game. Accusations against Myles, Parrot and Soutar claim that they engaged in five separate wagers. Those bets allegedly defrauded the bookmaker out of £13,583 ($11,500) in 5-1 odds of winning.

Police Raids Hester’s Home, Finds £2,400

The new report revealed that law enforcement raided the home of the 27-year-old soccer player. Reportedly, when police arrived at Hester’s home, they found some £2,400 ($2,030) in a bedside drawer. A video record of the police raid was shown to the court and the soccer player is reportedly heard saying “I’ve got the money, it’s at home. If I take you home and give you the money, that’s what happened. I was booked in a game and my friends gave me money for it – £2,500.”

In light of the accusations, the Scottish Football Association vowed to probe Hester’s performance in the aforementioned game. What will happen next remains to be determined as the trial is ongoing.

The announcement about the alleged scam comes after early last month, the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) released its report for suspicious betting alerts for 2022, reporting a total of 268 suspicious alerts. Not unexpectedly, the highest number of alerts were recorded in Europe, a total of 126. Although tennis was the sport with the highest number of suspicious alerts, soccer was ranked second, with 67 suspected alerts for 2022.