‘The X Factor’ rocked by betting scam

‘The X Factor’ under investigation after the Gambling Commission's discovery.

London: ‘The X Factor’ is under investigation after the Gambling Commission found a betting ring inside Virgin Media.

Staff used insider information to win thousands on the public vote for stars like eventual runner-up Rebecca Ferguson, 24, and winner Matt Cardle, 27. The Commission was tipped off by experts at gambling website Betfair, who spotted suspicious betting patterns during the show’s live finals. An internal inspection uncovered a syndicate that was misusing access to Virgin’s data on voting patterns. The gang could see who Virgin customers were voting for and used the information to place bets on which contestants would be eliminated. More than 16,000 pounds of bets placed on the show have been void and the three involved have been sacked. “We are satisfied that the bets placed were substantially unfair as the individuals involved had inside information,” the Daily Star quoted the commission’s director of regulation, Nick Tofiluk, as saying. “We have worked closely with all the bodies involved to ensure that those individuals do not profit and appropriate action has been taken to prevent a recurrence of such activity in the future,” he said. The inquiry was also handed over to telly watchdog Ofcom, who found the integrity of ITV and the show was not compromised. ANI