Former World Championship semifinalist suspended for more than 10 years for match-fixing

Former World Darts Championship semifinalist Andy Jenkins has been severely punished by the Darts Regulation Authority (DRA) for match-fixing. The 54-year-old Englishman was handed an 11-year suspension and must also pay a fine of £17,580.

A DRA disciplinary committee found Jenkins guilty of rigging 12 games in the MODUS Super Series. These games were played in the period between Feb. 22, 2022, and July 5, 2023. In addition, he allegedly passed on information about these duels to bettors.

Although Jenkins denied being guilty of match-fixing, he did admit placing 88 bets on darts matches. The suspension is retroactive from November 2023 and runs until Nov. 15, 2034. During this period, he may not be active in any way within tournaments covered by DRA regulations.

Jenkins had successes at the highest level in the past. In 2007, he reached the semifinals of the PDC World Championship, in which he lost to later world champion Raymond van Barneveld. In total, he won 15 titles during his career. Jenkins has until May 6, 2025, to appeal the decision.

The sentence was arrived at in cooperation with the Gambling Commission, which was investigating possible gambling-related abuses in sports. John Pierce, director of enforcement at the commission, stressed the importance of the ruling. “This case sends a strong and unequivocal message to all sportspeople - if you fix matches, you are likely to be caught and face serious consequences.

“Betting customers in Britain deserve confidence that the markets they engage with are fair and free from corruption,'' Pierce concluded.

Earlier this year, Prakash Jiwa also received a huge suspension for manipulating matches in the MODUS Super Series. The darter from India was suspended for eight years and fined £17,741.46.