There are times when both online bookmakers and punters are simply hard done by. There are many ways to do your money – a horse falls, a team simply isn’t good enough, or perhaps a car crashes. However, we are starting to see results ‘legally’ manipulated in some events and it is making life difficult for both punters and online bookmakers.

In football, we have often seen managers considering a match a dead rubber and sending on their second best team. This is particularly true in events like the Champions League and the Europa Cup, especially if there are important home games to play a couple of days later. There is little that can be done, managers are within their rights to send onto the ground whom they wish. It would be nice if they gave a little notice rather than leaving it until match day to announce their run on sides.

Over the weekend, we saw another classic example of a ‘legal’ manipulation of the results. This time it was the German Formula One Grand Prix. Felipe Massa was leading the Grand Prix when instructions where given that many have interpreted as instructions to let team mate Fernando Alonso past and into the lead. Formula One authorities seem to think along those lines too and have fined Ferrari US$100,000.

As punters, it can be a hard way to lose your money. For online bookmakers, the result was equally hard on them. Alonso was much shorter in betting than Massa and the changed result will have led to a much larger payout for bookmakers.

Online bookmakers and punters enter in to betting contracts (and that is what a bet is) in good faith. It’s a pity that some sports cannot honour that good faith by forcing results based on merit rather manipulation. At least those punters that backed Alonso have profited – that still doesn’t make it right.