Lou Vincent at Black Caps training in 2006, prior to his ban for match fixing. Photo: photosport
From professional athletes, to the club game, to children as young as 10, former Black Cap Lou Vincent says nobody is safe from the "dirty tactics" employed by match fixers.
Long maligned himself for his involvement in match fixing, Vincent has taken on a role working with police to educate athletes and sporting bodies about the dangers of what he says is a growing scourge at all levels.
The 46-year-old is speaking out at a time when sports people, including New Zealand footballers, are being targeted by international match fixers.
That includes former All White Clayton Lewis, who last year pleaded guilty to participation in a so-called 'yellow-card' spot fixing scheme while playing for A-League club Macarthur.
Vincent's lifetime ban for participating in match fixing lasted nearly a decade before it was lifted in 2023.
Lou Vincent leaving court with wife Susie. Photo: RNZ / Cushla Norman
He said the proliferation of illegal betting had grown since then by a "scary" degree, including young sportspeople overseas being funnelled into a "grooming process".
"These corruptors will build trust. Players as young as 10 or 12 who come from a poor family are being sponsored by businessmen to pay for their travel, pay for their gear," Vincent told RNZ Nine to Noon.
"It's a six or seven year grooming process. So if or when they do make it to the professional league it's like, 'hey, I've helped you this far. Now you kind of owe me a favour'.
"They're very clever and very manipulating.
"It's a bit of a worry but the biggest weapon we've got is just to educate all sporting bodies - both players and administration.
"It's letting them know about the consequences of saying 'yes' to this sort of thing. It's a lifetime sentence. It destroys everything about you as a human being. What for? Just for money?
"So that's part of my role - don't be like me, pretty much. It's taken a toll on my life."
Team Cricket's Lou Vincent signs autographs during the T20 Black Clash cricket match in Christchurch. Photo: photosport
Last week, Vincent accepted an invitation to address a Victorian Police conference on the subject of protecting integrity in sport.
There, he learned about the escalation in methods from those who benefit from spot fixing - a small event within a sporting contest.
"They're starting to use drones to fly into sports events, with instant live action that can be bet on," Vincent said.
"Through TV, we're seeing anything between three and seven seconds' delay, and that's quite a lot of time when it comes to betting.
"It's there, it's the world we're living in. Certainly, in the fast-paced life we're living in, people are wanting that quick buck, that quick fix so the threats are going to be there.
Lou Vincent (C) shares a joke with Team Cricket team-mates Hamish Marshall (L) and Anton Devcich during the T20 Black Clash cricket match in Christchurch. Photo: photosport
Another avenue for match fixing is through lower level sports clubs.
He says the financial struggle of clubs in New Zealand leaves them vulnerable as sponsorship and volunteer numbers decline.
"We're seeing club cricket, we're seeing third-fourth grade football. We're seeing kids' games livestreamed through the internet," Vincent said.
"Anything that's live on the internet can be picked up and dragged into these illegal betting sites.
"We're there's money and where there's humans - there's greed, there's vulnerability and there's danger to the sport."
Vincent believed New Zealand professional sports bodies are "leading the world" when it comes to educating athletes about the dangers of match fixing.
He says they have improved in providing support away from the playing and training fields.
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
