Man Charged for Court Side Betting at Australian Open

A British man has been arrested in Melbourne over charges of court-side betting at the Australian Open.

The story of the 22-year-old man from the UK is hitting the headlines today in Australian gambling news. The unnamed man was arrested and charged for engaging in conduct that would result in a corrupted betting outcome and is scheduled to face court on Thursday.

“Victoria now has specific legislation that covers offences related to cheating at gambling,” DC Ashton said.

Last April, changes in Australian gambling laws in the state of Victoria made it illegal to engage in “court-siding”, where bets are made based on live information from the person attending a sports event.

Offences for breaking the law over court-side betting could carry penalties of up to 10 years in prison.

British man arrested in Melbourne for court-side betting at the Australian Open

Allegedly, an employee of Sporting Data Limited, a private sports betting company in the UK county of Surrey, undertook the illegal betting. Sporting Data are reported to have a net worth of AUD 45 million.

As a result, the remainder of the Australian Open will be monitored by detectives from Victoria Police’s Sporting Integrity Intelligence Unit and the Melbourne Crime Investigation Unit.

“We will be monitoring matches for the remainder of the tournament,” continued DC Graham Ashton, “so if you’re thinking of engaging in this kind of behavior, think again.”

At present, the accused British man has been released on bail and will face Melbourne Court on Thursday.