Issued by the Darts Regulation Authority (DRA), the ban will run through 6 November 2031. The ban, announced by the Gambling Commission on 14 March, means Jiwa will not be able to participate in any DRA events for six and a half years.
The DRA issued the eight-year ban, which has been partially backdated. It set out details of the offences during a Disciplinary Committee hearing in January. Four matches of interest were flagged for match fixing, all of which featured Jiwa.
Jiwa lost 4-0 to both Owen Bates on 16 February 2023 and Adam Hunt a day later. He also lost 4-1 to Peter Hudson and to Willie Borland, in matches that took place on 1 June 2023.
Suspicious darts betting flagged by IBIA
Detailing the case, the DRA said it was made aware of the issue by an International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) alert the day after the latter matches. Suspicious betting was identified as having been placed by two individuals who have links to Jiwa.
Jiwa was suspended from competition the day after the alert was raised. This also led to the Gambling Commission launching an investigation into the matter.
It was discovered that in total, the two individuals wagered £2,752 (€3,273/$3,559) across the four matches. In contrast, the same two people only bet £83 on matches not featuring Jiwa.
Shortly after, the Commission informed Jiwa he would face no further action. However, an independent assessment of Jiwa’s performance was conducted by former professional darts player Ritchie Gardner.
During the assessment, Gardner highlighted consistently poor finishes, below the standard that would be expected of Jiwa. He described this as “extremely worrying”. Gardner also said that as matches were played on different days, it could not be attributed to a “bad day at the office” for Jiwa.
WhatsApp messages raise concerns
The DRA was also made aware of a WhatsApp conversation between the two individuals believed to be working with Jiwa. This made reference to “dodgy” betting patterns and an agreement to stop betting after Jiwa was suspended.
Jiwa was interviewed by the DRA but denied any wrongdoing. One of the other individuals also spoke with the DRA but claimed his success was down to a betting system he devised years before.
However, further investigation found records of phone calls between Jiwa and one of the individuals. The DRA also questioned as to why Jiwa had deleted messages on his phone from before when he was suspended.
Following further scrutiny, Jiwa admitted to betting on darts, and this involved one of the other individuals under investigation. He said he deleted all messages with the person, including between 10 and 15 that were about betting.
Jiwa guilty of betting and fixing
The DRA pushed ahead with charges in October last year, with a hearing set for January this year.
During the hearing, Jiwa denied four charges of match-fixing and one of obstructing the DRA enquiry. He did, however, accept a charge of betting on darts.
Ruling on the case, the DRA found him guilty of fixing four matches and betting on darts. It also dismissed any allegations of obstructing the enquiry and added that no other players were involved.
As such, the DRA issued the eight-year ban, which has been partially backdated. This means Jiwa will be eligible to play again in six and a half years. He was also ordered to pay costs of £17,741.
The Gambling Commission’s Sports Betting Intelligence Unit (SBIU) supported the DRA throughout its investigation.
“All betting customers in Britain should have confidence that bets placed with licensed gambling businesses are on markets that are fair and free from betting-related corruption,” the Commission’s director of enforcement, John Pierce, said.
“Our BIU works closely with partners to support sporting integrity investigations and combat match-fixing. This decision sends a clear message that betting-related corruption in sport will not be tolerated.”
Jiwa has until 19 March to appeal the ruling.
Clamping down on darts fixing
Jiwa becomes the latest player to be handed a ban by the DRA. In December last year, the DRA also dished out suspensions to several other players for separate cases.
Leighton Bennett and Billy Warriner were both found guilty of and admitted to charges of match-fixing. Bennett was suspended for eight years and Warriner 10 years, while both were ordered to pay £8,100 in costs.
Original article: https://igamingbusiness.com/sustainable-gambling/sports-integrity/darts-player-banned-eight-years-match-fixing/
