Bookie Betfair reins in race fixing

UK online bookie Betfair has helped police identify suspects in an alleged race-fixing scandal that has rocked the racing establishment and raised fresh concerns over the levels of corruption within sport.

Champion jockey Kieren Fallon is one of three jockeys arrested by police in connection with the probe into the outcome of more than 80 races over the past two years. Fallon was in trouble earlier this year after losing an apparently unassailable lead at the front of the field in one highly publicised incident.

Betfair works closely with the Jockey Club to report any suspect bets or unusual activity and has a whole in-house team dedicated to tracking the activities of any punters flagged up as suspicious.

A spokesman for Betfair confirmed that the bookie had played a part in gathering information leading to the arrests made today by the City of London police.

Prior to today's arrests, the spokesman told silicon.com: "Betfair has raised the bar in terms of fighting corruption and improving the integrity of the industry", citing the greater accountability of its system than those of 'real world' and trackside rivals.

"We have the technology to show transparency and spot strange betting patterns," he added. "The integrity of our site is crucial."

Betfair declined to comment on the specifics of the ongoing investigation.