For tennis fans, there’s nothing they’d rather be doing now than sitting courtside viewing Rafael Nadal or Serena Williams during the Australian Open. But one son from the UK was arrested this week for ‘courtsiding’ of a different nature, becoming the first to be faced with the emerging criminal activity Down Under.

The 22-year-old Brit, Daniel Dobson, ended up being arrested after attending a match at the Australian Open on Tuesday afternoon. He had been immediately charged with ‘engaging in conduct that would corrupt a gambling outcome,’ a description that sounds similar to tampering with the match it self than what was undoubtedly going on in this instance.

Growing and Nefarious Phenomenon

Courtsiding involves the practice of sitting live at a tennis match and watching the big event unfold, while simultaneously betting on the outcome, or alerting a third-party via mobile unit in regards to what is occurring in real-time so which they can do so. In specific, it takes benefit of in-play wagering, and particularly microbetting on the outcomes of individual points and games. Since there is a delay of seconds between when the point is played live when it’s broadcast on tv, a fast bettor can place bets when they know the end result of a offered point but before the bookmaker does; something that could clearly potentially price bookies many vast amounts in unfairly garnered payouts.

This can be utilized most clearly in gambling on who’ll win a given game, being a bettor who knows that a server is up 40-15 in a game can bet at much better odds than had been set whenever the score was just 30-15, for instance. But also without that kind of instant advantage, courtsiding can subtly be used more. A bettor could easily get a bet on a set or match in following a player breaks serve, which would significantly change the odds within their favor.

Of program, such wagers violate the integrity of sports betting, as one part has information about the game that the other could not possibly obtain. That is why the state of Victoria in Australia passed a legislation against the practice last year one that carries a sentence as high as a decade in prison.

Others Could Possibly be Involved

According to police, this arrest had not been caused by an incident that is isolated. Victoria Police deputy commissioner Graham Ashton noted there are others involved, and police say that the man they arrested was part of a larger gambling syndicate, perhaps headquartered in Eastern Europe. Australian media reported that the man was an employee of Sporting Data Limited, a personal recreations wagering company based in Surrey.

Displaying Data fired back quickly during the arrest, accusing Victorian authorities of misusing the new legislation. Dobson appeared at Melbourne Magistrate’s Court toward the end of the week, received bail and will be back an additional week to face fees; prosecutors say he used a device that is electronic his shorts to transmit the scores before TV delays might be broadcast. Two other unnamed British men are also being investigated for similar costs.

But Dobson’s protection attorney, Sazz Nasimi, said in court that his customer was data that are just sending a worldwide sports guide to greatly help them set chances throughout the progressing tennis match.

Sporting Data did admit that Dobson and others provided that data which is a known breach at sporting venues that are most these days but justified it by saying none of these employees put any bets themselves. The company claimed the move was necessary so that it could obtain ‘the most information that is up-to-date and stay competitive in ‘the tightest and most competitive environment there is,’ outlining the cut-throat nature associated with the international sports wagering industry these days.

Experts within the integrity of sporting events say that courtsiding is the latest tactic utilized by the same unlawful groups that have been accused of match repairing in the past. That’s because the scheme tends to be much better to pull off, particularly in areas where authorities are very much looking for signs of match fixing. For events perhaps not being televised, some fraudsters have bribed the employees charged with sending score updates to bookmakers in order to create a longer delay.

‘It’s pretty tricky to test and identify it. Very often these people use very devices that are small they conceal within their clothing, often having unique pouches sewn into clothing. Then they are going to simply press on a number of buttons under their clothes. So [it is] very hard to get,’ Ashton said.

While many countries would not have laws and regulations specifically outlawing courtsiding, most major sporting tournaments have rules that enable organizers to eject spectators who they think are engaged in the practice. One nation where it’s illegal may be the UK, where the England and Wales Cricket Board says that 15 individuals were ejected from games a total of 23 times for suspected courtsiding last summer time.