Police authorities in several European countries have apparently landed a serious blow against an illegal betting syndicate.
According to the Marseille public prosecutor’s office, investigators initially arrested a total of 14 people in France, Bulgaria, Spain and Romania on suspicion of years of manipulation of around 40 tennis tournaments in Germany and at least six other countries with illegal profits totaling almost one million euros.
The French judiciary has now even brought charges against five suspects. The allegations against the members of the network include fraud, sports corruption and membership in a criminal organization.
According to the authorities’ intelligence gathered since anomalies emerged at a lower-class tournament in southwestern France at the end of 2023, the betting mafia is said to have specifically recruited “players from the top 100 in the ATP ranking” for their illegal activities from 2018 to 2024.
The professionals are said to have been paid by betting fraudsters for intentionally losing a set or game.