Prosecutors’ Favourite Trick - When Does Illegal Betting Become Sports Fraud?

Udinese goalkeeper Maduka Okoye is the latest player to see charges escalating from illegal betting to sports fraud. But how does this one-two punch work so well?

Udinese and Nigeria goalkeeper Maduka Okoye is in a spot of bother. Initially accused of illegal betting after allegedly orchestrating his own booking in a Serie A match against Lazio in March 2024, Italian prosecutors have now escalated the charges to sports fraud.

This combination of illegal betting followed by fraud is a common strategy among prosecutors handling match-fixing cases.