Aussie authorities stop 2 men from engaging alleged corrupt betting

Australian authorities have stopped alleged corrupt betting by a transnational criminal syndicate at the Australian Open after intercepting two Estonian men carrying an "unusual amount of electronic devices."

The two men, aged 37 and 38 were detained at Melbourne Airport on Jan. 17, the Australian Border Force said in a statement Sunday. The two made admissions the electronic devices were to be used for courtside betting.

The practice involves a person sitting courtside at a sporting event and sending messages to another person, giving them several seconds advantage on how a match is progressing.

The person, often a member of a transnational criminal syndicate who target international sporting events, uses the additional time to place a bet at betting agencies before odds are updated.

"This was a sophisticated and well-prepared attempt by these individuals," Australian Border Force regional commander for Victoria state James Watson said in a statement.

Corrupt betting activities have the potential to undermine the integrity of professional sports, with Sunday's announcement coming just a year after revelations that tennis authorities knew of, but did not act on repeated warnings of suspected match-fixing.

Following the revelations, tennis authorities in 2016 announced an independent probe into their anti-corruption unit for not following up on information of alleged match fixing, which included second tier players and those of "some importance."

Authorities also may have "bungled" a match-fixing investigation at the 2016 Australian Open after allowing a player to leave without questioning or seizing his phone, according to Fairfax Media at the time.

"This detection will be of interest to many agencies, including law enforcement, betting and sporting organizations around the globe," Watson said.

The Estonian men were denied entry to Australia and have been deported.

The revelation brings a sour light to what's been an astonishing Australian Open where the veterans outlasted the younger generation to claim the top spots.

In what's been dubbed replay of the 2009 Wimbledon finals, Roger Federer will face Rafael Nadal in the Men's final on Sunday night, while Serena Williams defeated older sister Venus 6-4, 6-4 to claim her 23rd grand slam win on Saturday night.

Tennis Australia did not immediately respond to Xinhua's request for comment.

source: Xinhua