point shaving

American

noun

Sports.

(especially in basketball) the illegal practice, by one or more bribed players, of deliberately limiting the number of points scored to conform to the desires of corrupt gamblers.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Most people believe that bringing gambling into the light and allowing it to be monitored will decrease point shaving because there are algorithms that can detect betting irregularities that suggest possible rigging.

From New York Times • May 14, 2018

The most common combination: The BARbados-BERmuda match was a close shave, won by a whisker, a hairy competition, lots of clipping calls, point shaving, etc. etc. etc.

From Washington Post • Feb. 15, 2018

Going in that direction could easily lead to point shaving or the outright throwing of games.

From Washington Times • Jul. 6, 2016

Every time a late-game fumble, missed tackle or blown coverage causes a gambling line swing, we would hear whispers about point shaving.

From The Guardian • May 24, 2016

Strangely, this is the first time a college player has ever actually stood trial on the charge of point shaving.

From Time Magazine Archive

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023