Darts player Prakash Jiwa banned until 2031 over match-fixing charges

Darts player Prakash Jiwa has been hit with an eight-year ban from competing after he was found guilty of match-fixing and betting irregularities in the United Kingdom.

The English-Indian 54-year-old has been sanctioned by the Darts Regulation Authority (DRA) with the punishment partially backdated. 

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Jiwa will now be ruled out of all DRA events for the next six and half years, through to November 2031.

The details of the ban were confirmed by the Gambling Commission, following on from the offences set out by the Disciplinary Committee back in January.

The issues arise from four darts matches, all featuring Jiwa, two years ago. 

He lost 4-0 to Owen Bates and Adam Hunt across consecutive days in February 2023, then four months later, he was beaten 4-1 by Peter Hudson and Willie Borland on 1 June.

Jiwa was found guilty of fixing the four matches and betting on other games. 

His ban will be lifted once served, as long as costs of £17,741.46 are settled. 

The Gambling Commission confirmed there is no suggestion that the other players involved in the games were involved.

The DRA was tipped off by the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) which monitors the industry for suspicious and irregular bets. Concerns were heightened after two individuals with links to Jiwa placed wagers.

They were found to have bet £2,572 across the four fixtures in question, while placing only £83 on all other matches.

The day after the alarm was raised, the player was suspended from action, triggering an official probe.

Former darts professional Ritchie Gardner provided an independent assessment of Jiwa’s performances in the games, describing the play as “extremely worrying” and discounting a “bad day at the office” given the patterns were noted on separate occasions, four months apart.

Further scrutiny was applied after a WhatsApp conversation between the two individuals linked to the main protagonist. The communication referred to “dodgy” betting patterns as well as an agreement to end the bets once Jiwa had been suspended.

Later, phone records detailed calls between the darts player and one of the two figures, while he was asked to explain why messages had been deleted from his phone, prior to the suspension. 

Ultimately, Jiwa confessed to betting on darts matches, including the involvement of one of the two individuals under the spotlight.

The Gambling Commission’s director of enforcement, John Pierce, sounded a warning on match-fixing and how efforts will be continued to stamp it out. 

Pierce stated,  “All betting customers in Britain should have confidence that bets placed with licensed gambling businesses are on markets that are fair and free from betting-related corruption.

“Our BIU works closely with partners to support sporting integrity investigations and combat match-fixing. This decision sends a clear message that betting-related corruption in sport will not be tolerated,” he added. 

Jiwa has until Wednesday 19 March to appeal the ruling and punishment, as he becomes the latest player to face action. 

In December last year, Leighton Bennett and Billy Warriner were found guilty after admitting charges of match-fixing. The pair were banned for eight and 10 years, respectively, with both also instructed to pay £8,100 in costs.