WATCH: Conmen stream fake IPL tournament to trick Russian sports bettors!
The Fyre Festival of cricket tournaments!
We by no means condone crime, but this was absolutely genius!
Conmen in India streamed a fake Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket tournament to trick Russian betters into putting money on the game - and they almost got away with it, too.
The match was staged in Gujarat, India and the culprits almost got away with it.
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The IPL is one of the most lucrative sports leagues in the world. According to ESPN, an IPL game was worth a record R221 million in June 2022. In terms of value per match, this made it making second-most lucrative sporting product in the entire world, behind only to America's NFL, currently worth just under R6 billion.
Unemployed farmers and villagers were allegedly hired to play in the "league".
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Watch the video below of conmen streaming a fake IPL tournament to trick Russian sports bettors:
The players were even instructed on when to hit fours, sixes and even when to lose their wickets.
The matches were telecasted on the popular cricheroes app. The scam tallied up around R65,000 by the time the tournament had reached the quarter-finals.
(Gamble responsibly. Winners know when to stop. The South African Responsible Gambling Foundation (SARGF) provides Free and Confidential Treatment and Counselling to those affected by problem gambling.)
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According to Wikipedia, the Indian Premier League is a professional men's Twenty20 cricket league, contested by ten teams based out of seven Indian cities and three Indian states.
Like we said, the Fyre Festival of cricket tournaments!
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Now, for some real IPL moments, check out this compilation of the best IPL, which highlights the excitement of the popular cricket league.
Whilst we're at it, let's take a look at some of the greatest conmen in history:
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Main image attribution: YouTube