Gilbert Ulang has been suspended from professional darts for seven years after being found guilty of match-fixing at the 2017 World Darts Championship.
The Filipino was accused of ‘manipulating’ his preliminary round tie against Kevin Simm at the Alexandra Palace in December 2016 and a hearing was held in May 2018. Ulang was found to be in breach of DRA betting rules and was suspended for seven years, with his ban imposed until 17th December 2023.
Simm defeated Ulang in straight sets; winning both sets via last-leg deciders. Ulang was a big pre-match favourite with the bookmakers, but suspicious betting was reported on the contest by betting operators, and the UK Gambling Commission conducted their own criminal investigation before referring the case to the DRA.
In the deciding leg of set two, Ulang registered scores of 26, 41 and 45 and when requiring 89 with two darts in hand, he seemingly miscounted by aiming for the treble 18, which didn’t leave a finish.
Former World Championship semi-finalist and Sky Sports expert Wayne Mardle prepared a report that was produced at the hearing, which concluded that Ulang deliberately missed shots and purposefully miscounted at a crucial juncture of the match.
The 39-year-old Filipino denied any wrongdoing and rejected accusations that he threw the match. He insisted he was suffering with jetlag and claimed he was drunk during the match, but he was suspended by the DRA and ordered to pay £2,500 as a contribution towards costs of the hearing.
Photo Credit: Lawrence Lustig/PDC
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