Former darts wonder Leighton Bennett has been banned from the sport for eight years for match-fixing. The 18-year-old appeared in front of the Darts Regulation Authority (DRA) and was found guilty of 10 counts of rigging four games.
The charges included providing inside information about the fixtures, failing to assist the investigation and signing a contract with an unregistered manager. Bennett will be 27 by the time he has served the entirety of his suspension and will be eligible to play again.
Bennett’s ban will expire on ends on August 11, 2032, until which time he cannot have any involvement in DRA-organised events. He has also been ordered to pay £8,100.23 in costs.
Fellow darts player Billy Warriner received a 10-year suspension from darts for his hand in the controversy. Warriner is understood to have acted as an intermediary between the concerned parties, as well as helping to rig the four matches and organise fixed bets.
He admitted to 19 of the 21 charges he faced, which related to his involvement in fixing matches, providing insider information and setting up the illegal bets. He also admitted to four counts of failing to assist the investigation, two counts of acting as an unregistered intermediary and betting on darts.
Warriner was also guilty of threatening an opponent and insulting an official at another darts event. Like Bennett, he has been ordered to pay £8,100.23 in damages.