Sun Bets Fined Over "Piegate"

This week the United Kingdom Gambling Commission fined the owner of Sun Bets £84,000 for their role in the Sutton United "Piegate" incident last Autumn.

For those unaware of the situation, last fall Sutton's goalkeeper Wayne Shaw ate a cornish pasty (called a pie in England) at half time during a cup match against Premier League club Arsenal. Sun Bets had issued a strange betline that gave odds of 8/1 that Shaw, a 300 pound man, would eat and finish a pie during the match. Sure enough, the keeper ate the whole pie, leading to speculation that he and the bookmaker were working in cahoots.

The FA conducted their own investigation, fining Shaw £375 and banning him from any football activity for two months. The Gambling Commission had their own look at the incident and concluded that Sun Bets were also in the wrong for the incident. While that incident was a fineable offense, the regulator was more offended at offering bets as to whether or not a streaker would run onto the pitch during the match, which could be seen as an inducement for a criminal offense. Additional violations related to self-exclusion breaches were also recorded.

They handed down a large £84,000 fine to Sun Bets owner Tabcorp, and informed them that they could lose their UK gaming license if they're found to be facilitating bets related to illegal activities.

Commenting on the case UK Gambling Commission Program Director Richard Watson said, "Novelty betting markets, such as the market Tabcorp UK offered on last year's FA Cup tie between Sutton United and Arsenal, may seem like a bit of fun but the consequences were serious - with the potential to encourage someone to commit a criminal act or breach a sports governing body's rules."

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