Why Hong Kong is hitting pause on basketball betting

Until we work out how to address this new threat to clean sport, it is probably best to pause for breath. Because the real problem here is not so much gambling as the corruption that pervades all too many sports. Unregulated betting can make available huge sums sufficient to tempt all but the most upright citizen. Once corruption takes hold, the merits of sport itself are undermined.

Headlines from around the world show the curse of corruption has plagued all too many sports; football, basketball, cricket have all come under scrutiny recently. And invariably a bookmaker behind the scenes has been able to find someone on the pitch or on the court prepared to dishonour his profession for a price.

Even our own horse racing, in whose integrity we now take so much pride, was not always so pristine. I remember how in the days before the Independent Commission Against Corruption was formed, there was considerable speculation that the outcomes of certain races were fixed. Nowadays punters generally have more confidence as stewards are on the alert for horses not allowed to run their best race. Appropriate disciplinary action can then be taken.

The cricketing world has been shaken by evidence of corruption involving players from South Africa to India, including some of the top names in the sport, even captains of national squads. The misbehaviour includes in-match bets and similar exotic manipulation which implies a high degree of coordination and conspiracy.