Editing Point shaving (section)

{{Short description|Type of match fixing in sports}}
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{{original research|date=March 2019}}
{{one source|date=June 2024}}
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{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}}
In organized sports, '''point shaving''' is a type of [[match fixing]] where the perpetrators try to change the final score of a game without the intention of changing who wins. This is typically done by players colluding with gamblers to prevent a team from covering a published [[spread betting|point spread]], where gamblers bet on the margin of victory. The practice of shaving points is illegal in some countries, and stiff penalties are imposed for those caught and convicted, including jail time.

A point-shaving scheme generally involves a sports gambler and one or more players of the team favored to win the game. In exchange for a [[bribe]], the player or players agree to ensure that their team will not "cover the point spread" (the bribed player's team may still win but not by as big a margin as that predicted by [[bookmaker]]s). The gambler then wagers against the bribed team. Alternatively, players on the team picked to lose may be bribed to lose by more points than the indicated point spread, and gamblers will wager on their opponents, the favorites, to cover the spread. Also, an official (referee) of the game may be bribed, or even bet on his own behalf, so that one or more "close calls" will be called in favor of the "underdog" rather than the team favored to win.