How missing a darts board completely led to eight year ban for match fixing on former world youth champion ‘Boom Boom’ | Sport-others News

Two darts players including former world youth champion 18-year-old Leighton Bennet popularly known as ‘Boom Boom’ and Billy Warriner have been banned the Darts Regulation Authority (DRA) for eight years and ten years for charges including match fixing on Monday. The ban was imposed on the two players after the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) had reported suspicious betting on four matches involving 2019 world youth champion Leighton in the Modus Super Series last year.
According to a DRA statement as reported BBC on Monday, Bennett was found guilty of ten charges of fixing while Warriner was found guilty of 19 of 21 charges for being involved in the fixing in the four matches. The players had earlier been suspended DRA in August and were found guilty after a hearing last month.
“Bennett was found guilty of 10 charges for fixing the four matches, providing inside information on the matches, failing to ass an investigation and for signing a contract with an unregered agent. Warriner admitted 19 of 21 charges for being concerned in fixing the four matches, providing inside information and organising betting on the matches, four counts of failing to ass the investigation, two counts of acting as an unregered agent and betting on darts. In addition, he pleaded guilty to an unrelated incident at a darts event where he was abusive to an official and threatened his opponent,” said the DRA statement as reported BBC.
Bennett, who was 13 years of age when he won the world youth title in 2019, was competing in the Modus Super Series last year. After videos of Bennett surfaced online missing the darts board entirely on one occasion during a match against Ryan Harrignton, IBIA had raised suspicion on Bennett and Warriner too playing a part in fixing the matches. On September 8, 2023, IBIA reported suspicious betting on the following matches played in the Modus Super Series. Leighton Bennett versus Mindagaus Barauskas, Leighton Bennet versus Benjamin Dreu-Reus, Leighton Bennett versus Ryan Harrington and Leighton Bennett versus Mindagaus Barauskas. The DRA conducted a thorough investigation and as a result of the decision, both the players have been suspended,” DRA had said in a statement earlier this year.
As per Talksport, Warriner admitted to reaching out to Bennett about fixing matches so that he could clear his own gambling debts.
“At the time I felt I didn’t have any option. I asked Leighton to do it and I messaged a few mates to say can you put this money on these games for me. I thought we had gotten away with it until in January Leighton had his phone taken off him at Q-School, then I knew it was a problem Leighton wasn’t sure about doing it at first, he said, ‘Do you reckon I will get caught. I said no, obviously because I needed the money. I think I said, ‘Do you fancy fixing a couple of matches?’ Eventually he said yes, but he didn’t take a lot of persuading. I told him he was already out of the competition and couldn’t get through anyway, and he agreed to do it,” Warriner told DRA as reported Talksport. Modus Super Series have also welcomed the DRA’s decision. “We are fully supportive of the outcome and hope that the severity of the punishment will act as a deterrent against future offences in relation to betting and match fixing,” a Modus Super Series statement read. Modus Super Series works tirelessly to ensure the integrity of our event, everybody involved, and the sport of darts is protected,” said the statement.