Man Arrested & Charged For Courtside Betting At Australian Open

An interesting story broke out from “down under” overnight and involves the popular subject of “courtsiding“. It turns out a man from the UK has been arrested and charged as a result of “courtside betting” at the Australian Open.

3News reports that

A man from the United Kingdom has been arrested and charged for “engaging in conduct that would corrupt a betting outcome” at the Australian Open in Melbourne.

The 22-year-old was ‘courtsiding’, a form of court-side betting that involves placing bets on point outcomes during a match, and Melbourne police are warning others to beware of such activities.

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

“Offences include engaging in conduct that corrupts a betting outcome, facilitating conduct that could corrupt a betting outcome and use of corrupt conduct information for betting purposes. These offences carry hefty penalties of up to 10 years in prison.

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

The man has been bailed and is due to appear in court tomorrow.