"If you get an approach, you can't just ignore it. You are responsible for reporting that" - Matthew Edgar gives pro-insight into match-fixing regulations in darts

The topic of match-fixing in darts has been thrust right back into the spotlight recently following the eight-year ban of former prodigy, Leighton Bennett. Former PDC Tour Card holder and recent Lakeside competitor, Matthew Edgar has given a pro player's insight into match-fixing regulations.

"I'm someone who, I don't believe fully in: The first line of defence is punishments and deterrence. I believe the first line of defence is education, and obviously so do organizations, because that is the first line of defence in this case," begins Edgar. "When you get a PDC Tour Card, you need to go to a PDPA introduction. During that, you'll be told all the rules and regulations and all the key parts of your PDC contract."

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"Also, depending on where you are playing, certainly within the professional ranks, you have to do an online education workshop," Edgar reveals. "Even in that, there are things that are deemed to be match-fixing, that isn't just losing a game on purpose. So you've got to be aware of these things and how you can easily fall foul to this."

Because of this, any players in trouble simply cannot claim that they didn't understand the match-fixing rules, as that simply does not hold water. "You've passed the online course, you've got a certificate to say you've passed it, so the education is there in place," Edgar explains, noting another interesting point. "At any point, you can go back on if you feel you forgot something, or maybe if something happens and you're a little bit unsure. You can go back onto that educational plan, get all the information you need and you've got access to that all the time."

It's not just this online course that acts as a barrier to potential match-fixers. "When you go into the venues, let's say you went to the MK Arena for a Pro Tour. The venue would be full of banners or signs, which remind you at all times," Edgar adds. "If you get an approach, you can't just ignore it. You are responsible for reporting that and then blocking the individual that has sent you that message."

It's not just the PDC, PDPA or the DRA that players can fall foul of either. If caught, it can quickly become a police matter. "Once they recover your mobile phone, which they do in these cases, they are able to access contact list, call history, text messages, emails, internet, browsing, photos, videos, social media messages and can even recover deleted content off your device," says Edgar. "There's no getting round that."

"Cases can be tracked and they are highlighted and flagged very quickly. When we're talking about these cases, some of them we're talking little tiny amounts where you wouldn't think it was even possible to flag something up from the small amounts of which we're talking. But there is millions of pounds worth that goes into keeping the game clean and the integrity of that. So one thing I will say is, I think everyone that's been involved has been caught and I think anyone who is involved will be caught," he concludes. 

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