The Tennis Integrity Unit launched an investigation on Tuesday after a spectator, suspected of illegal betting, was ejected from the Heineken Open tournament in Auckland.
A local radio station reported that the New Zealand man was seen using a handheld device, possibly to bet on specific points and take advantage of the delay of several seconds before other gamblers saw the points played on television.
At last week’s women’s tournament at the same venue, a Spanish man who reportedly had been previously ejected from Wimbledon, was asked to leave the event.
Radio Sports said more than 2,500 New Zealand dollars (£1,280) in tickets to the tournament were purchased in London, an unusually large amount.
ATP Tour supervisor Tom Barnes said illegal betting, using the time lag that occurred with internet scoring or live television, was a common problem and officials were trained to watch for spectators possibly transmitting information.
“(They use) a laptop or a cell phone - these people are very crafty,” Barnes told the New Zealand Herald. “On some of these European betting sites, you can bet for example on a first serve and whether a guy is going to make a fault or not.
“Somebody sitting in the stands with a cell phone can transmit this information to someone in Europe and the guy will bet that the first serve was a fault. And the person who is making the bet will have the information before anybody else so they’re actually cheating in that respect.”
Barnes said Auckland police had not been involved in the incidents at the ASB Classic and Heineken Open tournaments.
Richard Palmer, director of both tournaments, said all information around the people ejected was confidential. Criminal charges were not necessarily likely to be laid.
