The UK’s Darts Regulation Authority (DRA) yesterday (2 December) banned players Leighton Bennett and Billy Warriner after they were found guilty of and admitted to charges of match-fixing.
Bennett has been suspended from darts for eight years and Warriner 10 years. The British players have also been ordered to pay £8,100 (€9,762/$10,271) each in costs.
The DRA ruling follows an International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) report for suspicious betting activity released in September 2023. This relates to matches played in the Modus Super Series.
The matches in question saw Bennett play Mindaugas Barauskas and Benjamin Drue-Reus, both on 6 September 2023. Two more games took place on 8 September 2023, with Bennett facing Ryan Harrington and Barauskas for a second time.
Working with the Gambling Commission Sports Betting Intelligence Unit, the DRA launched a full investigation into the matter.
The DRA ruled both players had cases to answer for “serious” breaches of its rules and suspended them this August. Then, at a hearing before the DRA Disciplinary Committee on 18 November, both players were found guilty of the breaches.
Darts body: both players failed to assist investigation
Setting out the breaches, Bennett was found guilty of 10 charges for fixing the four matches. He was also ruled to have provided inside information on the matches, failing to assist with an investigation and signing a contract with an unregistered agent.
With Warriner, while he did not play in the specified matches, the DRA said he participated in the wider match-fixing effort.
Warriner admitted 19 of 21 charges for being involved in matchfixing activities, providing inside information and organising betting on the matches. He was also found guilty of four counts of failing to assist the investigation, two counts of acting as an unregistered agent and betting on darts.
In addition, Warriner pleaded guilty to an unrelated incident at a darts event. Warriner was abusive to an official and threatened his opponent.
Bennett is now suspended from playing in or being involved in any DRA events until 11 August 2032. Warriner will not be eligible to play again until 27 June 2034. Both players have until 14 December to appeal the decisions.
Bennett was once seen as one of the rising stars in darts. In 2019, he became the youngest ever British Darts Organisation (BDO) youth champion at the age of just 13.
