PDC Banned Three Darts Stars for Combined 21 Years After Investigation

Three darts players were banned for a combined term of 21 years for match-fixing offences at Modus Super Series events in 2022 and 2023.

The Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) issued the bans this year after an investigation into allegations that Andy Jenkins, Prakash Jiwa and Jack Main were involved in match-fixing and gambling offences.

Jenkins was found guilty of fixing 12 Modus Super Series matches by a Darts Regulatory Authority (DRA) disciplinary committee, which issued a £17,580 fine and banned him from all DRA events for 11 years. His ban is backdated to November 2023.

The Englishman had denied match-fixing but admitted to 88 breaches of gambling rules that ban players from betting on any darts event.

Main was given a two-year ban from darts and Jiwa, 55, was banned for eight years after being found guilty of fixing four matches.

Andy Jenkins has been banned from darts (Image: Getty)

Jiwa was said to have been facing allegations relating to matches in February 2023 and June 2023 in which he faced Owen Bates, Adam Hunt, Peter Hudson and Willie Borland and lost heavily on each occasion. There has been no suggestion that his opponents were in any way involved in Jiwa's offences.

He was also found guilty of betting on matches by the investigation assisted by the Gambling Commission’s Sports Betting Intelligence Unit.

Speaking after the findings, John Pierce, Gambling Commission director of enforcement, said: "This case sends a strong and unequivocal message to all sportspeople – if you fix matches, you are likely to be caught and face serious consequences.

Jiwa was given an eight-year ban (Image credit: Getty)

"Betting customers in Britain deserve confidence that the markets they engage with are fair and free from corruption.

"Our Sports Betting Intelligence Unit will continue to work closely with partners such as the Darts Regulation Authority to identify and prevent match-fixing."

Jiwa was also fined £17,741 in costs.

The DRA was alerted to match-fixing in 2023

It was the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) that raised the alarm after identifying suspicious betting patterns around Jiwa's matches with Hudson and Borland in June 2023.

Rugby-born Jiwa has held a PDC Tour Card three times but will be banned from darts until at least November 2031. The end of his ban depends on his payment of the costs as outlined in his sanctions.