SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
The Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU) has handed a four-year ban and $15,000 fine to Spanish tennis player Gerard Joseph Platero Rodriguez after he was convicted of courtsiding.
The player has become the first to be charged with the offence, which involves the transmission of live scoring data from a match to a third party for betting purposes.
Six months of his four year ban are suspended on condition that no further breaches of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program (TACP) are committed.
As part of the TACP, players and coaches are prohibited from any form of engagement with tennis betting and wagering services. This includes placing bets, directly or indirectly, on the outcome or any other element of tennis matches.
In addition, the promotion of tennis betting is also prohibited. This includes displaying live betting odds on a player’s website, writing articles for a tennis betting publication or websites as well as promoting a tennis betting company via social media.
The investigation found that Rodriguez had acted as a courtsider at an ITF M15 tournament held in Pittsburgh, USA in July 2019. He was also found to have placed 75 online bets on tennis matches during June 2019, in breach of the explicit prohibition on any form of betting on tennis.
Moreover, during the course of the investigation and subsequent disciplinary process, the unranked player had failed to engage or provide any form of co-operation, as required by the TACP.
