Match-Fixing Scandal: New Jersey Has Suspended All Betting On Ukrainian Table Tennis

ESPN - The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement on Thursday instructed the state's sportsbooks to suspend betting on all table tennis events in Ukraine or any matches involving six players, after being warned of potential match-fixing.

Uhhhh....ya think? Look, I don't know how much a Ukrainian table tennis player makes. But I know they're not treated like A-list celebrities over there. And one Google search with no extra research tells me that the average Ukrainian worker makes about $390 USD per month. So yeah, I'm sure that there's SOMEONE smart, powerful, and rich enough over there to see that us dumb Americans have been itching to bet on anything due to the absence of our main sports, and there's money to be had in fixing these meaningless games. These table tennis players are probably bringing home 10x what they usually would. Shoot, maybe much more. And it's easy!!

Which brings me to my next point: is there any easier match to fix in the entire world than a Ukrainian Table Tennis match? Are these even on television? I mean, to fix a basketball game, you might need the referees on board. Or at least multiple players. Even if an NBA role player tried his best to lose a game, LeBron might still go for 46-12-7 and win it himself. In table tennis, it's just you vs. the opponent. This is no different than Pro Wrestling. The whole thing can be scripted if you're both in on it!

But I'm not even mad at the people fixing these games. In fact, I respect them. All six of these young entreprenuers. Because listen, I've said it once and I'll say it 1,000 times: if I'm ever in a position to fix a game, I'm fixing that game. I don't love anything as much as I love money. Now, should Patrick Mahomes fix a game? No, he's worth $500 million. But if Ohio's Tate can ever get his thousandairre ass into match fixing, you can bet your bottom dollar I will. 

.....but could you imagine being on the wrong side of this? Waking up this morning and seeing that no, you're not actually reading the Setka Cup, WIN Cup, and TT Cup boards incorrectly. You're actually on the right side of everything, except the match-fixing. Man, that's a tough pill to swallow. But that's what you get for betting on something that you know absolutely nothing about. That's why I'm waiting for college football. Especially the late night Mountain West double down games because I lost all of my money on the Sun Belt earlier in the day.