MADRID — The Spanish police have arrested 34 people who they suspect are involved in a criminal betting organization that fixed tennis matches in tournaments held in Spain and Portugal. Those bets were usually placed on men’s matches in at least 17 tournaments and yielded profits of more than half a million euros €500,000 (£420,420), according to the police statements issued on Thursday.
The arrested include 6 tennis players, Spain's interior ministry said, but they didn't identify any those arrested. They are accused of deliberately arranging the loss of tennis games in at least 17 different events.
A police spokesperson told the AFP news agency that players were offered between €500 (£419) and €1,000 (£837) to throw matches. "Sometimes they promised €500 and in the end only paid €50. The players were above all the victims," he added.
The players involved are relatively lower-ranked - all are outside the top 800 worldwide.
Match-fixing has become a major concern in tennis, particularly at the game’s lower professional levels. Under pressure to tackle the problem more forcefully, tennis officials agreed last January to authorize an independent review of the sport’s integrity efforts and committed to adopting all of the review panel’s recommendations when they are issued next year.
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