An independent report into match-fixing in tennis has concluded that 45 matches played in the last 5 years should be investigated due to evidence suggesting gamblers had used inside information to place their bets.
The review has also urged the sport’s governing bodies including; the Association of Tennis Professionals, the International Tennis Federation, the Women’s Tennis Association and the Grand Slam Committee, to team up to launch a worldwide anti-corruption body for the sport. The review also urged them to work with fellow sports administrators together with national governments and even the United Nations in a bid to get a mandate for tackling corruption.
The report was commissioned by former London police officers, Jeff Rees and Ben Gunn - experts in fighting corruption in sport. They also included 14 other recommendations in the report which have all been agreed to be put into action by the tennis authorities.
Rees and Gunn found that the allegations regarding the Italian or Russian Mafia involvement in tennis corruption were unfounded. However, they do not rule out the possibility that “organised criminal gangs” might have tried to bribe crooked players.
They wrote in the report that, “We have found no evidence of ‘Russian or Italian Mafia’ involvement in corrupting the integrity of tennis.
We do not doubt that criminal elements may be involved in seeking to subvert or corrupt some players or players’ support staff; that may even involve organised criminal gangs, but to elevate that suspicion to a claim of ‘Mafia’ involvement is, in our view, a distortion of the facts and is positively damaging to the sport.”
The report also mentioned that professional tennis is neither “systematically or institutionally corrupt,” however, the report stated that the fact 45 matches were suspicious meant no room for “complacency.”
The players involved in the 45 matches due to be investigated were not named in the report. Kris Dent, spokesman for the ATP said he wouldn’t comment on these matches until they have been investigated. However, he did say that 45 matches was a very small percentage of the hundreds of thousands of professional matches that have taken place over the past five years.
However, detailed information of the 45 matches have been handed to the tennis authorities by Gunn and Rees and have urged them to make thorough investigations into the matches.
The report says, “The initial assessment of those matches, supported by other intelligence, indicates that a number of account holders are successfully laying higher-ranked players to lose and backing lesser-ranked players to win. The betting patterns give a strong indication that those account holders are in receipt of ‘inside information’ which has facilitated successful betting coups both on ‘in-play’ as well as ‘match’ betting.”
Rees and Gunn believe they might have uncovered something more widespread. Online bookmaker Betfair cooperated in the investigation. They are unique in that they match bettors against each other rather than against the house.
The report continues by saying, “Patterns of suspected betting activity have been noted on 27 accounts in two different countries and there are emerging concerns about some players which would warrant further attention. Bearing in mind these allegations only relate to Betfair account holders, it is reasonable to assume that other suspect betting is taking place using other international legal and illegal betting markets.”
The reported ended by recognising five potential threats to the integrity of professional tennis, “Namely, corrupt practice by players and others in respect to gambling; breaches of the rules in relation to tanking [giving up trying to win]; violation of credentials; misuse of inside information and illegal or abusive behaviour towards players.”
