Former Macarthur Bulls Players Sentenced for Betting Corruption

Kearyn Baccus and Clayton Lewis clashed on the pitch

Clayton Lewis and Kearyn Baccus, former Macarthur Bulls players, avoid jail time for their involvement in an A-League betting scandal.

The scandal has had a significant impact on the careers of Lewis and Baccus...

Clayton Lewis and Kearyn Baccus, former players for Macarthur Bulls, have avoided jail time and been ordered to pay fines of $10,000 each for their involvement in an A-League betting scandal. The duo pleaded guilty to engaging in conduct that corrupts the betting outcome of an event after admitting to receiving payments of $10,000 each from club captain Ulises Davila to ensure yellow cards were issued in multiple A-League matches in late 2023.¹

The betting scandal involved Lewis and Baccus deliberately incurring yellow cards during a match between Macarthur FC and Sydney FC on December 9, 2023. This resulted in losses of approximately $167,387 for betting entities. Davila, who allegedly orchestrated the scheme, has yet to enter pleas on nine charges against him and faces court proceedings.

Lewis and Baccus were sentenced to two-year conditional release orders, allowing them to remain in the community under certain conditions. Both players have been ordered to repay the $10,000 they received and undergo treatment for gambling addiction. Lewis, who has been diagnosed with major depressive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder, will continue psychiatric treatment. Baccus, who has expressed genuine remorse, has stated he will never play football again.

The scandal has had a significant impact on the careers of Lewis and Baccus. Both players have been suspended from participating in Australian football competitions, and their contracts with Macarthur FC were terminated. Lewis was sacked by the club, while Baccus's contract expired in June 2024. Davila's contract was also terminated.

Two professional soccer players, Kearyn Baccus and Clayton Lewis, admitted in court to engaging in betting corruption after receiving payments from Ulises Davila, the former captain of Macarthur Bulls. They allegedly received $10,000 each to deliberately earn yellow cards during A-League matches in late 2023. Davila, a Mexican national, is accused of acting as a middleman between the players and a criminal group in Colombia.

The players' guilty pleas come after an investigation revealed a betting scheme that led to hundreds of thousands of dollars in winnings. Baccus and Lewis were paid by Davila to receive yellow cards, with Lewis even confessing to requesting a yellow card “to earn a bit of money” while in a detention cell. The scheme involved 50 suspicious bets placed on a match between Macarthur FC and Sydney FC, resulting in a payout of over $200,000 and a loss of approximately $167,387 for the betting operator.

no conviction no jail for Kearyn Baccus and Clayton Lewis

"Yes bro, whatever you want papa" pic.twitter.com/FpjthNFwYw

— Dirga (@diekarasu) September 24, 2025

Davila faces nine charges and is set to appear in court, having not yet entered a plea. His contract with Macarthur FC was terminated after his arrest, and both Baccus and Lewis have been suspended from all competitions. Baccus is no longer with the team, while Lewis remains suspended. The two players will receive their sentence in September.

Lewis and Baccus will serve a two-year conditional release order, a non-custodial sentence in Australia which allows offenders to remain in the community under conditions.

The pair's sentencing comes a month after former Western United midfielder Riku Danzaki was fined $5,000 and convicted of fraud for deliberately earning yellow cards in A-League games so he and a friend could cash in at bookmakers.