SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
The Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU) has handed a 20-month suspension and $6,000 fine to Greek tournament director Antonis Kalaitzakis after he admitted to ‘betting on tennis and failing to report knowledge of, or suspicion of corruption’ to the TIU.
The suspension follows on from an investigation which found that Kalaitzakis used online betting accounts to place 127 bets on tennis between 2013 and 2016.
Four months of his suspension and $3,000 of the penalty have been suspended ‘on the condition that no further breaches of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program (TACP) are committed’.
Kalaitzakis will also be prohibited from officiating in or attending any tennis event authorised or sanctioned by the governing bodies of tennis for a period of 16 months.
Following a disciplinary case, adjudicated by independent Anti-Corruption Hearing Officer Jane Mulcahy QC, Kalaitzakis was found to be in breach of Section D.1.a and Section D.2.b.ii of the TACP guidelines.
Section D.1.a prohibits any tennis official from directly and indirectly wagering ‘on the outcome or any other aspect of any event or any other tennis competition’.
While Section D.2.b.ii says that ‘in the event any related person or tournament support person knows or suspects that any covered person or other individual has committed a corruption offense, it shall be the related person’s or tournament support person’s obligation to report such knowledge or suspicions to the TIU as soon as possible’.
