The world of in-running gambling is filled with manipulation, deceit, and carefully crafted illusions. Here are 20 important rules every gambler needs to understand to avoid being duped in this controlled and rigged environment:

1. Early Fast Goals Lure You In: A quick goal within the first 15 minutes is often used to tempt bettors into chasing losses, with the last few minutes offering no further goals, leading to total losses.

2. Odds Manipulation: Bookmakers can stretch or adjust odds behind the scenes to manipulate betting behavior, making you believe a bet is valuable when it’s not.

3. Fabricated Movements: Betting odds and market movements can easily be fabricated through the control systems of bookmakers, giving the illusion of a "hot streak" or an unpredictable game.

4. Players Are Not Paid for Entertainment: Professional athletes, especially in sports with heavy betting markets, are often paid to follow instructions from syndicates to influence game outcomes.

5. Orchestrated Drama: Many on-field events, from player injuries to dramatic moments, are staged or orchestrated to create a desired narrative for betting purposes.

6. Scorelines Are Sold to Bookmakers: Syndicates often sell predetermined scorelines to bookmakers for millions of dollars per week, ensuring that betting results align with the syndicates’ profits.

7. Corner Kicks Are Controlled: Even mundane stats like corner kicks can be tightly controlled by betting syndicates to affect specific bets, making the game appear natural to unwitting viewers.

8. FOMO Is Used to Trap You: Fear of missing out (FOMO) is used to push you into placing risky in-running bets, with the promise of quick profits, only to end in devastating losses.

9. Referee Bribery: Referees are sometimes bribed to make decisions that favor certain outcomes or teams, further manipulating the game for the benefit of betting syndicates.

10. Backdoor Deals Between Bookmakers and Syndicates: Bookmakers are often in cahoots with syndicates, facilitating the rigging of odds and outcomes, while ensuring the syndicates make a profit.

11. Lesser-Wagered Teams Are Targeted: Betting syndicates focus on games involving less-wagered teams or obscure markets to fix outcomes more easily and profitably.

12. Dramatic Emotional Moments Are Staged: Tears and public displays of emotion by players and fans are often staged for the media, increasing emotional investment in the game and encouraging betting.

13. Syndicates Influence Betting Patterns: Betting patterns are often manipulated by syndicates, controlling how the public bets and how the odds shift to maximize their own profits.

14. Predictable Scoring Patterns: In certain games, the number of goals or type of goals scored (such as penalties or own goals) is often predetermined to align with specific betting strategies.

15. Market Shifts Are Controlled: Sudden odds changes during a game are often pre-planned, giving bettors the illusion of unpredictability when, in reality, the game's outcome is controlled.

16. Bookmakers Want to Guarantee Their Profit: The odds are designed to ensure that bookmakers make a profit no matter the outcome of the event, forcing bettors into a losing position over time.

17. TV Scenes Are Carefully Crafted: What you see on TV is often carefully selected footage designed to evoke emotions and push bettors to place specific types of bets.

18. Overtime Goals Are Often Fabricated: In games where a late goal is critical to the outcome, the game may be manipulated to ensure the odds come in line with syndicate predictions, increasing bookmaker profits.

19. The Public Is Fed False Information: Media, from TV commentators to sports analysts, often feed false narratives or incomplete analyses to manipulate public sentiment and betting behavior.

20. Syndicates Control All Aspects of the Game: From the referee’s decisions to player performances, everything is orchestrated by the betting syndicates to control the outcome of the game and ensure they profit from the bets placed.

In-Running Betting Cycles

In the world of in-running gambling, there are distinct cycles that dictate the flow of goals and the overall pace of the game, designed to mislead and trap bettors. Understanding these cycles is crucial for spotting the manipulation that underpins many betting markets.

• Feeding Cycle: The Feeding Cycle occurs when goals are scored easily in the opening phase of a match. This phase is designed to create an illusion of a high-scoring game, prompting bettors to place aggressive bets on over-goals or other goal-based markets. As the game progresses, however, the flow of goals becomes artificially constrained, leaving many bettors with losses when no more goals materialize after the initial burst.

• Baiting Cycle: The Baiting Cycle is characterized by fast, early goals that create a sense of urgency and excitement. After these early goals, however, the game tends to slow down, with little to no goals scored in the remaining 15 minutes of each half. This cycle encourages bettors to act impulsively, often chasing additional bets after the initial surge, only to face frustration as the market stabilizes.

• Harvest Cycle: The Harvest Cycle occurs when one half of the game sees a flurry of goals, followed by a complete shutdown in scoring. This cycle may also include a half with zero goals or even a 0-0 scoreline. The Harvest Cycle is designed to create dramatic market shifts that bettors are drawn into, offering "easy" wins on certain bets, only to see the flow of the game stop abruptly, leaving them with no payout.

These carefully constructed betting cycles, combined with the manipulations listed above, are designed to fool gamblers and exploit their emotional responses, leading them to place bets at the wrong time and on the wrong markets. Understanding these patterns can help you avoid falling into the traps set by bookmakers and syndicates alike.