LAWFUEL – The Legal Newswire – Measures to prevent match tampering at the US Open lead to tennis umpires and officials received letters from U.S. Open organizers reminding them of rules against gambling, Bloombergs report.
The U.S. Tennis Association also sent players in the men’s and women’s draw written notification about the conduct policy before the year’s final Grand Slam, which runs through Sept. 9 in New York, spokesman Chris Widmaier said.
The USTA hired a security consulting firm run by former New York City Police Commissioner Howard Safir to guard against gambling during the two-week tournament. The move follows the ATP’s investigation into wagering on No. 4-ranked Nikolay Davydenko’s loss at a tournament in Poland this month and a National Basketball Association referee betting on games.
“We did increase our communications in light of recent events,” Widmaier said in an interview. “We have a zero- tolerance policy and we reminded them about what that policy is.”
The USTA forbids any person given a credential, including players, coaches and media, from betting on matches during the tournament.
The ATP, which runs the top men’s tour, implemented anti- corruption rules in 2003 that forbid players and people who support players from gambling on matches or advising others to wager. They can’t provide information about injuries or court conditions. Penalties include a fine of up to $100,000 and a lifetime ban, as outlined in eight pages of the ATP Rulebook.
The International Tennis Federation certifies officials and evaluates them on a regular basis, spokeswoman Barbara Travers said. Officials aren’t allowed to bet or provide information about matches to other people.
