Scandal Brewing On The Courts

We often hear about diving in soccer, cheap shots in hockey, players using stickum in baseball, but now we are hearing about cheating in of all sports – Pro Tennis.

Covering the Odlum Brown Open at Hollyburn we get to see exceptional play from various players that eventually make the circuit to pro, but for them it’s about playing, winning and advancing their careers.

Now it’s reported by an ex-tennis player from South America that match-fixing is a commonplace thing and even some elite players are “a little bit dirty in some way”. No matter what there will be some match fixing in every type of sport, so ultimately it’s your choice whether to put money in those sports betting kiosks or somewhere similar to bet on your favorite sport.

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He has claimed fixing is not just limited to lower-ranked professionals and is “a secret that everybody knows”.

The player, who naturally requested anonymity, stated tennis authorities “know who is doing it” but are unwilling to stop it and the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU) said it rejects “any suggestion that evidence of match-fixing has been suppressed”.

These allegations come after a BBC and Buzz-Feed News investigation revealed some illegal betting over the past decade. Illegal betting is something people in the United States have had to contend with for a long time given the lack of federal legislation on the matter. Although, in this article, they have outlined quite clearly where people are able to bet on sporting events legally.

The interview with the BBC’s World Have Your Say team, the player, who featured in several tour matches last year and is now a coach, detailed how the fixers operate and the lengths they go to in order to remain undetected.

“This is like a secret on the tour that everybody knows, but we don’t talk about it,” said the player, whose identity is known by the BBC. “We just see it and keep working.”

How are matches fixed and by Whom?

The player claimed “three big groups” control betting in tennis and that any payments to players are made using cash, with no bank-to-bank transfers allowed.

“Each group has many guys who go to talk to players,” he said. “They have many guys inside the circuit.

“Also, they have many accounts. They have 50-60 accounts where they place small money. At the end, it’s huge money. It’s really big.”

Really – what’s next in sport, mind you if you think outside the box someone will come up with something strange so we can discuss it over the water cooler next week.

With the Tennis we have in the British Columbia and Canada, we really shouldn’t worry about this filtering down to any matches played on home soil.

We simply play for FUN!!!http://www.bbc.com/sport/tennis/35356550