A follow-up investigation into match-fixing in tennis by Australian broadcaster ABC said that an average of three matches per week were being identified with suspicious betting patterns during portions of 2015. The investigation also alleged that one European bookmaker has a database of 350 players of which it has concerns.
The “Four Corners” program on ABC, citing figures from international bookmakers, referred to 40 matches with suspicious betting patterns at events in Colombia, Morocco, Russia, and Germany, from September to November of last year. It said 20 of the players involved have been previously identified in suspicious matches, indicating that 12 of them were named in a 2008 investigation by tennis authorities into match-fixing.
That 2008 investigation, prompted by betting exchange Betfair cancelling betting on a match between Nikolay Davydeno and Martin Vassallo Arguello, led to the creation of the Tennis Integrity Unit, but did not lead to sanctions against the players. The topic re-emerged with a BBC story during the Australian Open, which said investigators had given information involving match-fixing about 28 players, but none had been sanctioned.
The “Four Corners” story also said it obtained the database kept by the European bookmaker of players involved in suspicious matches, which includes 10 players who played the Australian Open. It said two low-ranked Australians were named, but most of the players were from South America, Asia, and Eastern Europe.
It also includes David Marrero, who, according to a New York Times story, was involved in a mixed-doubles match at the Australian Open that caused one bookmaker to suspend betting because of suspicious betting patterns. Two Australian newspapers quoted sources who questioned whether the cancellations were a "publicity stunt," noting that other major bookmakers had not cancelled bets and the odds were seen by experts to have been unbalanced. However, “Four Corners” said 19 other bookmakers also suspended bets on the match.
Suspicious betting patterns are one indication that a match may have been fixed, but they are not sufficient by themselves to indicate any wrongdoing.
The “Four Corners” program also said that before the 2008 investigation, former ATP official Richard Ings issued an internal investigation in 2005.
He said, "Deliberate underperformance by players, and ensuing gambling and alleged corruption that results from such deliberate underperformance, appear to pervade all levels of the men's professional game.”
He also recommended that 37 matches be examined further.
During the Australian Open, ATP CEO Chris Kermode defended the sport against allegations that it was not doing enough, and said that each "single bit of information that the Tennis Integrity Unit receives is investigated properly."
The tennis authorities have also announced an independent review to assess the effectiveness of the Tennis Integrity Unit.