User:Jimbo online/2008–09 non-League football betting scandal

The 2008–09 non-League football betting scandal was a gambling scandal during the 2008–09 season involving five matches in three different leagues of English non-League football.

Background
In the final game of the Conference National 2008–09 season, Grays Athletic defeated Forest Green Rovers 2–1 at the New Recreation Ground on 26 April 2009. Forest Green were awarded a penalty when Stuart Thurgood handled the ball in his own penalty area.

Bookmakers William Hill and Blue Square &mdash; who sponsor the league &mdash; suspended betting on the match after receiving a large amount of fixed-odd bets placed on Grays to be losing at half-time and winning at full-time. Alan Algar of Blue Square commented saying; "We closed the market on Saturday. It looked extremely dodgy. It's always a big price for a team to be losing at half-time and to win at full-time."