Man Accused of Australian Open Betting had Device Stitched in Shorts

A 22-year-old British man arrested for illegal gambling from the stands of the Australian Open had a device stitched into his shorts that allowed him to transmit real time information to gambling syndicates.

Prosecutor Joe Diemar told magistrates that Daniel Dobson hoped to beat television delays of up to 10 seconds, giving betting syndicates an unfair advantage.

This is believed to be the first prosecution of its type worldwide.

He was charged with one count of “engaging in conduct that would corrupt a betting outcome,” deputy commissioner Graham Ashton told reporters in Melbourne on Wednesday.

“We believe he is part of a syndicate but we don’t yet have the details,” Ashton said. “I don’t (think it’s an isolated incident).

“I don’t want to talk too much about those individuals for obvious reasons (but) we are alert to individuals.”

Police had received intelligence from Tennis Australia, the sport’s governing body and organisers of the year’s first grand slam, and had acted on it quickly, Ashton added.

- Alistair Prescott, Gambling911.com