Sports betting has been around for centuries. It might have been around a lot longer than we actually know. Chances are since the first game there have been bets placed on the outcome. It is no wonder really that in history games have been fixed, tampered with, and completely a mess. The fact that Dennis Lillee and Rod Marsh are two men who have been involved in gambles on sports is not really a surprise. These two were part of the Ashes team of Australia. The year they decided to do something illegal was 1981.
At this time most of those playing cricket felt that it was okay not to get paid a great deal. They still wanted to win for their team and their fans rather than be paid to take a loss. Lillee and Marsh were not of the same cut. The pair who seemed to go all out and always want to win rather than lose were unable to resist a bet. There was a lure of 500 to 1 odds on England. These two decided to place a bet with bookies regarding the outcome of the game.
It was scandalous to consider betting on sports when playing sports. The thing that made it completely horrible is that they were betting on an England team they were playing. It was not enough to have high odds against England winning and being a part of the bet. They had to actually make this win happen. It seems they decided money was a lot better than actually making certain to win the cricket game. Bob Willis and Ian Botham were both people that the pair avoided in the game. Ian played on their team and kept trying to send Lillee some good shots. Lillee kept missing them. Bob Willis kept making plays for his England team to which the pair let him have the wins. The point is that such horrible playing by two men who would never have wanted to lose was definitely suspect. It was not enough to say they were playing a bad game because they were under the weather or just having an off day.
Those involved in the games and seeing such obvious mis-plays investigated. It was imperative that they apologize for giving the win to a team that was not supposed to win. Not only that but all the winnings from the bet had to be missed. They could not rightfully claim any money given that they tanked the game to ensure the huge windfall.
Lillee and Marsh may have been respected. They may have been some of the best players Australia had, but after such a scandal the pair became known as the pair that gambled against themselves and though winning the money actually lost more than anything they could have imagined. They lost careers, fan trust, and of course the money when it all ended. It makes them two of the most famous gamblers in sports betting for sheer stupidity of gambling on another team and making the win happen.