A decision in the appeal of Jack Main against the Darts Regulatory Authority (“DRA”) has been issued by the Appeals Committee.
In a decision issued on 12 January 2024 by the DRA Disciplinary Committee, Jack Main, an amateur Darts player from Norwich, UK, was found to have breached Article 2.1.2 and 2.1.3 of the DRA Betting Rules. The Disciplinary Committee found that he had fixed the outcome of a match against Lisa Ashton on 9 June 2023 during a Modus Super Series event, in Portsmouth, UK, and that he had provided betting information to another person. Consequently, Mr Main was suspended from all DRA-sanctioned events until 31 December 2025 and ordered to pay costs.
Mr Main exercised his right to appeal the Disciplinary Committee’s decision, in accordance with Rule 16 of the DRA Rule Book 2023, citing new evidence whereupon the DRA then instructed Sport Resolutions to appoint an Appeals Committee. As part of his appeal, Mr Main submitted text messages from an anonymised individual (“Person A”), who was found to have placed suspicious bets on the outcome of his match and whom he had alleged to have first met whilst competing at the Modus Super Series event.
The text messages from Person A were submitted to provide proof that the individual had placed a bet on the 9 June 2023 match, after Mr Main sustained an eye injury. Person A’s text messages confirmed that they believed Mr Main's eye injury would affect his chances. They also indicated that they were unaware of any betting restrictions applicable to them as an employee of the Modus Super Series event.
The DRA did not find the new evidence provided by Mr Main to be pertinent, noting that Person A had since changed their explanation for placing the bet. Initially, Person A cited Mr Main’s eye injury, but later mentioned Mr Main’s standing in the competition and the comparative form of both players. The DRA argued that Person A’s account likely changed after it was established during the initial hearing that the timing of the bet was highlighted as having been made before the alleged eye injury took place. Furthermore, the DRA noted that the evidence did not clearly indicate when Mr Main had originally sent or received the text messages. They affirmed their position that the bet was placed before Mr Main claimed to have sustained the eye injury, which undermined his argument as the timing was inconsistent. Additionally, the DRA maintained that there was no logical reason to bet on a 4-0 outcome unless the match result had been pre-determined by Mr Main, in collusion with Person A.
The Chair of the Appeals Committee, having reviewed the case on the papers, found issues with the authenticity and timing of the text messages. Having taken the new evidence into account, the Appeals Committee agreed with the DRA that the reasons behind the bets were questionable. The Appeals Committee also noted the lack of a witness statement from Person A or the opportunity to cross-examine them.
Ultimately, the Chair of the Appeals Committee upheld the original decision, finding that the new evidence did not sufficiently alter the balance of probabilities. Mr Main remains suspended from attending and competing in DRA-sanctioned events and the financial penalty remains in place.
Sport Resolutions acted as the independent secretariat to the Appeals Committee of the DRA.
A copy of the full decision can be accessed via the related links tab on the right-hand side.
