 Wimbledon
Gambling Scandal:
Fixed Matches
Revealed
In a shocking
revelation this
weekend it was
revealed that as
many as eight
matches at Wimbledon
have been reported
to the tennis
authorities on
suspicion results
have been fixed by
professional
gambling syndicates.
The Wimbledon
gambling scandal
continues to unravel
as the championship
play gets under way.
The Championships,
Wimbledon (commonly
referred to as
Wimbledon) is the
oldest tennis
championship in the
world. It is one of
the four Grand Slam
tennis tournaments
and the only one
played on grass
courts.
Betting on the event
is expected to be
somewhat brisk.
Odds on
Wimbledon 2008 can
be found at
Sportingbet
The Wimbledon
gambling scandal
first unfolded last
year when the New
York Times
reported that at
least a dozen ranked
players have said
they were asked to
throw matches or
have heard of
similar approaches
to others.
Dmitry Tursunov said
he was aware of
approaches by
gamblers. The
players had
volunteered their
stories in the wake
of an investigation
of Nikolay Davydenko
of Russia, the
world’s No. 4
player, because of
betting patterns
during a loss in
Poland in the
summer.
Kris Dent, an ATP
spokesman, also
acknowledged that a
“highly subjective”
list of 140
suspicious matches
dating from 2002 had
been compiled by a
European bookmaker
and provided to
investigators.
“There is a clear
risk to the sport
because players are
being approached,”
Mr. Dent said. “We
take this incredibly
seriously.”
The Wimbledon
matches have been
named in a dossier
compiled by leading
bookmaking companies
responsible for
monitoring suspect
betting patterns and
players thought to
be willing to throw
game.
An official with
detailed knowledge
of the dossier of
140 "suspect"
matches from
tournaments around
the world told the
Sunday Times: "If
you look at a
tournament, you
might see one match
for £23,000 [in
betting turnover],
one for £27,000, one
for £36,000 and one
for £4.5m.
"It doesn't take a
genius to work out
that something is
going on in the last
one."
The latest scandal
comes at a time when
another sport is
reeling from a
rape crisis.
Police are
investigating
allegations of a
woman, an Auckland
bar worker, claiming
she was raped by
four England Rugby
players in the early
hours of Sunday
morning at the team
hotel, the night
after England was
beaten by the All
Blacks at Eden Park.
They are yet to
receive a formal
complaint from the
woman nor were the
accused players
named at press time
Sunday evening.
-----
Christopher
Costigan,
Gambling911.com
Publisher
CCostigan@CostiganMedia.com
Originally published
June 22, 2008 7:56
pm EST
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