Using Control Charts to Corroborate Bribery in Jai Alai

Abstract

Statistical process control charts were used in the State of Florida District Court to help establish the guilt of an individual who was alleged to have affected the outcome of jai alai contests by bribing some of the contestants to lose. By placing wagers on the nonbribed contestants the briber gains an increased chance of winning, which is to the detriment of the other bettors. This paper gives an example of how statistical process control techniques can be employed to detect the unusually high bets that generally accompany bribery of the contestants. If the management of the jai alai gaming facility had been using control charts on a regular basis, the game fixing might have been detected much sooner.

Key Words:

• Gambling
• Quality management
• Statistical process control