777 Buck

The Cost of Point Shaving

Point shaving usually occurs in organized sports. It is a type of match fixing where the gamblers collude with players to prevent a published point spread from happening. The general motivation of point shaving is sports betting. Oftentimes, to pull of a point-shaving scheme, one or two players collude with a gambler. Instead of accepting a bribe, the player/players involved agrees to play their team and deliberately not cover the point spread so that the gambler can wager big against the team.

Frequent cases of point shaving happen in collegiate sports. Amateurs are ore vulnerable to bribes than professionals primarily because collegiate players adhere to a no-compensation policy until they become professionals.

Point shaving in basketball is almost impossible to detect. Because here players don't have to throw the game, they only have to miss a couple of shots to influence outcomes. By missing shouts, or committing fouls or turnovers, the player or players can make sure his team fails the point spread. The NCAA passed a zero tolerance policy against point shavers. However, critics admonish strict rules on amateurism that only encourages gambling and point shaving acts.

Players participating in a point-shaving scheme admit they don't play their best so that they enable opposing teams to succeed at the point spread. Point shaving players can be charged with sports bribery, which can ruin their reputation and their life. Indictment against players causes humiliation, the ceasing of their career and/or jobs, and possibly a time in jail.

Players who usually fall for this scheme generally feel that gambling is exciting. The excitement is still there even when they're in debt with bookmaker, or possibly, because of it, decides to have point shaving a go. They know what they're doing is wrong, but they just couldn't stop.

A coach of a college basketball team is waiting for trial for point shaving and sports bribery. For him gambling is a norm since he grew up around horse race tracks and casinos. He has a fascination to gambling that the sports he was coaching became more of wagering for scores than winning for the team. The usual scenario was that he wanted more money by fixing the game. He can win by deliberately trying to lose his team by 20-25 points to the opponent. "It's hard to resist $8,000 and it's easy to throw the game, you just don't hustle for defense a bit and passed up shots.

This coach further admits that somehow point shaving wasn't related to his normal views of gambling, it's more of desperation to win more money.