Betting patterns investigated

The association of British bookmakers have been alerted to irregular betting patterns following Motherwell’s clash with Hearts.

The pair met in SPL action on Tuesday night with Hearts claiming the points courtesy of a 2-1 success at Fir Park.

The irregular patterns specifically relate to the red card market where one bookmaker was offering 8/1 odds on there being a red card in the contest.

It is believed a number of bets, which originated in the Liverpool area, were made in the region of £200 to £500 along with utilising betting sites.

The bookies were forced to pay out as Motherwell’s Steve Jennings was booked in the contest and later shown a straight red card for ‘insulting, offensive and aggressive language’.

The Scottish Football Association confirmed in a statement: “Following information received from the Association of British Bookmakers (ABB), we are aware of alleged betting irregularities surrounding a sending-off incident in the Motherwell v Heart of Midlothian match on Tuesday, 14th December, 2010.

“At this stage, we are not in possession of the facts regarding the allegations and are waiting for further information from the Scottish Premier League in due course.

“Once we are in possession of all of the facts we will be in a better position to provide more detailed comment on the matter.

“In the meantime, we will be working with our colleagues at the Scottish Premier League to establish the details surrounding this incident.”