OFF: How Serious is Tennis’ Betting Problem?
Posted by Aaress Lawless on Oct 5, 2007 | Print | Email | Bookmark | Free Subscription
Over the past several weeks, the ATP Tour has been rocked by allegations of insider gambling, including the possibility of players tanking matches for bribes.
Now, the investigation has headed in the WTA Tour’s direction after some suspicious betting patterns were noticed in Kolkata during the Sunfeast Open.
Today’s Open Forum Friday questions are on insider gambling, match-fixing, and player or support team betting.
How badly will the allegations of match-fixing and insider gambling hurt tennis’ reputation? How serious of a problem do you think this is and would you still watch tennis if you thought there was a possibility that it was rigged?”
Presently, it does appear that the Kolkata incident will be cleared of any wrongdoing, but it may only be a matter of time before the Tour finds itself with a more serious case of scandal on its hands.
Everyone, thanks for taking part in the discussion! Have a great weekend!
If you enjoyed this tennis article, please sign up for a free subscription!
stewpot | Oct 5, 2007 | Reply
I suspect if it involves players with less name recognition, that the game of tennis would not be badly damaged. However, if you had the top people involved in throwing a match, I think fans would be disgruntled. Then again, it would probably draw some folks that like watching news unfold. Greed and love of money are the basis of such crimes and thus are apt to be in tennis at some level.
Nina | Oct 5, 2007 | Reply
One thing I know is that corruption is widespread in Russian sports and no wonder Nikolay Davidenko is currently involved in betting investigation. Even when I was a kid playing table tennis, I remember there were lots of match fixing going on at junior level. Though I must say that the problem goes beyond Russia of course.
r.burke | Oct 5, 2007 | Reply
To say that ‘corruption is widespread in Russia’ in a country that boasts the likes of Marion Jones, Landis, Montgomery, Hunter, Canseco, Bonds, Armstrong, Griffith-Joyner, Lewis, Gatlin, among many others is utterly arrogant and blind. Corruption is corruption. Russian corruption in sports is no more heinous than US corruption. The betting scandal is mild in comparison to the steroid scandal. US culture demands that their athletes be #1 and nothing less. It creates a culture where the norm is lies and greed. Instead of removing ‘the beam from their eye’ the media continues to hound Davydenko as as if being Russian gives the story more legs or substance for that matter.
Aaress | Oct 6, 2007 | Reply
Very true Stewpot, it probably will cause more people to pay more attention to tennis.
A prime example would be the people who are now paying more attention to track and field after Marion Jones’ confession of doping.
Nina | Oct 6, 2007 | Reply
r.burke,
I understand your point. However, in Russia (and in that region) the corruption is systemic. It is everywhere and at every level. I don’t think in the U.S. you can find many parents bribing their middle-school or elementary school couches.
Plus, there have been many reports about Russian athletes and decision-makers involved in Russian mafia.
But I also do realize that it is NOT only a Russian problem.
Alice | Oct 7, 2007 | Reply
We must always reserve judgment on any allegation of corruption in sport until the facts are established.
However in the current climate it’s easy to be dissilusioned about the integrity of sport and athletes. For example, when Asafa Powell conquered the 100m world record a month or so back, my mind immediately question if it was drug-fuelled.. Especially in the light of his failure to defeat Tyson Gay at the world championships only weeks earlier.
In the light of the Davydenko affair, I was suspicious when I heard about this latest allegations involving Russians.. in India. Two countries where the corruption is common currency.
Sunfeast is an off the wall tournament in many ways.
r.burke may I remind you that performance enhancing drug use was not simply practiced by Russian and Eastern European artists, but institutionally endorsed!
It’s a credit to the transparency of sport in American that cheats are exposed. This possibly explains the apparent disproportionality of top American athletes guilty of drug use.
Alice | Oct 7, 2007 | Reply
Athletes, not Artists. lol