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How to tune into Sport NationBanned Kiwi cricketer warns of toll of match-fixing
Melissa Woods, AAP • October 12th, 2025 5:53 pm
Kiwi Lou Vincent made a ton in his Test debut against Australia but his career ended in disgrace | Photo: Andy Tyndall/AAP
Former New Zealand cricketer Lou Vincent has swapped the pitch for the stage with the disgraced batsman addressing a conference in Melbourne about match-fixing.
Just over 10 years ago, Vincent was banned for life for his involvement in attempting to manipulate multiple matches around the world, including in England, South Africa, India and Bangladesh.
Ahead of a Victoria Police symposium on Tuesday that will look at a range of integrity in sport related issues, Vincent told AAP it's not just international cricket that is susceptible to match-fixing, but any sport that is live-streamed.
Lou Vincent hit the winning runs against Australia in a Chappell Hadlee Trophy match in 2007 | Photo: John Cowpland/AAP
"It's not so much just cricket, it's all sports - you've got third grade soccer in New Zealand that nobody knows and you've got 10 people watching but because it's live-streamed on internet, it can be bet on," said Vincent.
"Anything that's filmed and live on the internet, they find a way to underground betting sites and anything can be bet on so it's not so much just the professional sport, it's the amateur sport.
"That's why we've got to do everything possible to protect corruption in all sports at all levels."
While sport governing bodies are doing their best to educate their athletes, Vincent believes nothing beats a first-person warning - and he is able to provide a unique insight.
"I've got a powerful message to the next generation and the future generation of sports players where they can easily be manipulated or corrupted into this dark underworld, which I've lived firsthand," the former top-order batsman said.
"I pretty much destroyed my life, destroyed my career, destroyed my future in sport, but this is a small part of giving back, to help educate.
"The biggest influence I can have and we can have in the sports integrity world is purely education and the more young athletes know about it, the more they'll be aware of the signs and the people to avoid."
Playing 23 Tests, including a ton against Australia in his debut, and more than 100 one-day internationals, Vincent was lured into the shady world of spot-fixing back in 2008 when he was emotionally vulnerable, feeling depressed and angry after losing his New Zealand contract.
Signing up to play in the short-lived Indian Cricket League, he initially rebuffed a prostitute and $US15,000 ($A23,000) which was offered to him by a bookmaker in a hotel room as a "down payment" and reported it.
But the then 28-year-old then decided to take the next opportunity when approached by a close teammate, admitting greed as well as wanting a sense of belonging were motivating factors.
"I was a prime target to be dragged in; a brotherhood who will look after you," he said.
"The league that we were playing in wasn't sanctioned by the ICC so how it was sold to me, was like, these games we're playing in, it's not real cricket .... so you're not doing anything wrong and everybody's doing it."
Vincent said a simple example of how he would spot-fix during a T20 match was to score between 10 and 15 runs, off 20 balls, and then get out.
With threats to his safety or that of his family, he described it as a "noose around his neck", which only disappeared when he retired and came clean.
Two years ago the global life ban was partially relaxed and Vincent has been able to "participate" at professional domestic level or below.
Working as a builder in New Zealand, he said he would continue to make amends and share his story.
"I've had to start life again and missed out on a career in a sport I love," he said.
"In a strange way, by owning what I did and being given an opportunity to use my story as a massive educational lesson for the next generation, it's kind of been worth it."
