Korean police investigate basketball coach over match-fixing

Korean police are investigating an active professional basketball coach over match-fixing allegations, according to local media.

Seoul police said the coach, whose identity is being withheld, allegedly bet against his own team in the Korean Basketball League and played bench members in the second half to ensure the team would lose, Yonhap News Agency said.

Police believe the coach borrowed 300 million won ($273,000) from a loan shark to bet on games.

Police added that they've detained two acquaintances of the coach's for allegedly making illegal wagers on KBL games for the coach. They are also trying to track down two other friends of the coach who helped him borrow the money, Yonhap reported.

The incident is not the first time the KBL has been hit with a major match-fixing scandal. In 2013,  Dongbu Promy head coach Kang Dong-hee became the first from a major domestic sports league to be sentenced for throwing games. The KBL later banned him for life.

The only legal form of sports betting in South Korea is through purchasing Sports Toto lottery tickets. Sports Toto offers odds on wins, ties, losses and final scores. A bettor can only wager up to 100,000 won per ticket, up to six times a day.

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