An illegal betting syndicate is alleged to have collaborated with tennis players from the top 100.
Police authorities in several European countries have apparently dealt a serious blow to an illegal betting syndicate.
According to the Marseille public prosecutor’s office, investigators initially arrested a total of 14 people in France, Bulgaria, Spain, and Romania on suspicion of manipulating around 40 tennis tournaments in Germany and at least six other countries over a period of several years, generating illegal profits totaling almost one million euros.
Charges brought against suspects
The French judiciary has now even brought charges against five suspects. The allegations against the members of the network include fraud, sports corruption, and membership in a criminal organization.
According to information gathered by the authorities since irregularities were noticed at a lower-level tournament in southwestern France at the end of 2023, the betting mafia is said to have specifically recruited “players from the top 100 in the ATP rankings” for their illegal activities between 2018 and 2024.
The professionals are said to have been paid by the betting fraudsters for deliberately losing a set or match.
