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LONDON (AP) — Andy Jenkins, a darts player who once reached the world championship semifinals, was banned from the sport for 11 years on Wednesday for match-fixing.
The 54-year-old Jenkins was found guilty by a disciplinary committee of the Darts Regulation Authority of 24 charges of fixing relating to 12 matches in which he was involved at the Modus Super Series, a lower-tier competition, from August 2022 to July 2023.
The majority of the suspicious betting patterns reported to betting operators related to Jenkins not scoring a 180 — the maximum for three darts thrown.
He had denied those charges, as well as those regarding providing information on the matches, but had accepted one charge of betting on darts.
The suspension was backdated to start Nov. 15, 2023 and Jenkins can resume playing on Nov. 15, 2034.
He was ordered to pay costs of 17,580 pounds ($23,500).
Jenkins has won 15 career titles, the BBC reported, and got to the semifinals of the PDC world championship in 2007, losing to Raymond van Barneveld.
John Pierce, director of enforcement for the Gambling Commission, said the case sent “a strong and unequivocal message to all sportspeople.”
“If you fix matches, you are likely to be caught and face serious consequences,” Pierce said.
