German Football Player Admits to Gambling Addiction and Match Fixing

Last Tuesday German football player, Rene Schnitzler confessed that he is a gambling addict, stating from the time when he was 18, there has hardly been a day when he has not bet on sports in Germany. Schnitzler was a striker for the Bundesliga’s St. Pauli Football Club, based out of Hamburg.

Schnitzler also came clean that in 2008 he received bribes totaling over $134 thousand (€100 thousand) from Dutch man called Paul Rooij to twist the outcome of one away game in the 2007-2008 season and five away games in the 2008-2009 season. At the time, the Hamburg team was still in the second division. While Schnitzler denied that he really imposed the negative influence he was paid for on those games, St. Pauli came in ninth and then eighth in each season respectively.

Speaking on behalf of St. Pauli, spokesman Christian Boenig declared they were "shocked, but not totally surprised" by the disclosure. The club was aware that Schnitzler had problems, but "he would not let himself be helped."

Prosecutors have demonstrated that Rooij placed quite a few immense wagers throughout Asia on allegedly rigged games. Rooij is additionally suspected of connections to numerous accused cheating organizers being tried for violating German gambling laws by corrupting 30 games throughout Europe in a conspiracy held as the European football’s largest deception scandal.

More recently, St. Pauli won promotion to the highest flight during the 2009-2010 season, ultimately placing second in the league. However, now they are only fifteenth in Bundesliga, leaving them barely above the drop zone. Punters wagering on St. Pauli at offline and online sportsbooks in Germany hope similar dishonesty doesn’t mar the remainder of the season.