Bidding rings

Bidding rings are secret collaborations where a group of participants cooperate to manipulate auction outcomes, often in bridge or similar card games. They coordinate bidding strategies to ensure one member wins certain auctions or obtains preferred hands, unfairly influencing the game's fairness. These arrangements undermine the competitive integrity of the game, as they allow the ring members to gain an advantage not based solely on skill or luck but on covert agreements. Bidding rings are considered cheating and can lead to disqualification and penalties when discovered.