Nieuwlaat on match fixing reports: “They're targeting the lower players, They're more vulnerable”

Reports emerged last week about match fixers approaching darts players including six from the Netherlands including Niels Zonneveld and Maik Kuivenhoven who rejected this.

It showed a big problem in the darting world. PDPA board member and commentator Jacques Nieuwlaat spoke to the Inside the WDF podcast about this issue.

“Obviously every Tour Card holder before they get their Tour Card and can play on the tour, they have to go through a gambling module online for which they also have to do an exam. In that module, they get taught what they can and cannot do,” said Nieuwlaat to Inside the WDF podcast.

“It might be clear for someone from the UK but from someone from the Czech Republic or from the Netherlands or Belgium, it’s difficult. We’re not as used to the gambling as a whole.

“On the other side, we’re also trying that’s something we’re going to emphasise more when the Challenge & Development Tour starts again is to look to see how we can educate those players a little bit more because that’s where we see the problems are starting to grow.”

“My fear is that these fixers aren't targeting the top 32 or the top 64, they're targeting the lower players. They're more vulnerable. They have less income so £5,000 is a lot more money to someone ranked 80 in the world than it is to someone ranked 8th in the world.”