Spanish tennis player Gerard Joseph Platero Rodriguez became the first professional tennis player to be convicted of ‘court crimes’, betting and non-cooperation, after an investigation by the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU).
Rodriguez was suspended for four years and during that period he will not be able to play the sport, and fined $ 15,000 after the decision.
The investigation established that Rodriguez acted as a ‘court judge’ at an International Tennis Federation (ITF) M15 tournament held in Pittsburgh, USA, in July 2019.
The player was the first tennis player to be accused and convicted of this attitude and also faced convictions for gambling crimes, having made 75 online bets on tennis matches during June 2019, which is expressly prohibited by TIU.
The Tennis Anti-Corruption Program (TACP) prohibits any form of involvement with tennis bets and bets, including placing bets, directly or indirectly, on the outcome or any other element of tennis matches.
Promotion of tennis betting is also prohibited, including displaying live betting odds on a player’s website, writing articles for a tennis betting publication or website, making personal appearances for a tennis betting company and promoting a tennis betting company through social media.
In addition, any player facing TIU disciplinary action must fully cooperate with their investigations, including testifying at hearings when requested.
During the course of the investigation and the subsequent disciplinary process, Rodriguez would not have been involved in or provided any form of cooperation with TIU and therefore faced other charges for non-cooperation.
The disciplinary case was tried by Ian Mill QC, an independent anti-corruption hearing officer, and found Rodriguez guilty on all counts.
As of September 30, Rodriguez faces a ban on playing or participating in any tennis event authorized or sanctioned by the governing bodies of tennis for a period of three years and six months.
Six months of its four-year ban are suspended on condition that no further violations of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program (TACP) are committed.
