1xBet Fake Matches: The Investigation That Shocked the Betting World
A joint investigation by Bellingcat and Josimar published in October 2024 revealed that 1xBet organizes and broadcasts hundreds of thousands of fictitious amateur sports matches every year. These fake games are played in warehouses and converted arenas across Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine, with participants paid to play continuously in round-the-clock shifts. Players wearing jerseys of teams like Liverpool, Real Madrid, and Barcelona switch shirts between games to create the illusion of different matches.
The scale is staggering: approximately 5 million viewers watch these illegal amateur streams per month, and nearly half a million short football matches are broadcast annually on 1xBet — just in that one format. The purpose is to provide an endless stream of betting events that users believe are real, when in fact the outcomes may be controlled or at least played by non-professional participants in undisclosed locations.
Children as young as 14 were found participating in fictitious matches staged in closed warehouses, some of which investigators described as resembling sets from The Squid Game.
Why This Matters for Users of Real and Fake 1xBet Sites
The fake match scandal demonstrates that even interactions with the legitimate 1xBet platform may involve manipulated events. For users on fake 1xBet clone sites, the risk is compounded: not only may the matches be staged, but the platform itself is fraudulent and has no intention of ever paying out winnings. Betting on an event whose outcome may be predetermined on a platform that will never honor withdrawals represents a total loss scenario.
The investigation has triggered regulatory scrutiny in multiple countries. The UK Gambling Commission had previously forced 1xBet to suspend UK operations. Several other jurisdictions have since moved to ban the platform. Despite this, hundreds of mirror domains continue to operate, and a growing number of fake clone sites exploit 1xBet's brand recognition to deceive bettors worldwide. Knowing what you are betting on — and whether the platform is real — has never been more important.