International gambling rings target WNBL as Perth Lynx erect warning sign inside Bendat Basketball Centre

Shady international betting syndicates are targeting Australian basketball, with professional punters ejected from multiple WNBL games this season for brazenly gambling inside the stadium. A huge sign was erected at the entrance to last week’s Perth Lynx game, warning fans they would be evicted and could face police action if found to be “courtsiding”. Courtsiding is when syndicates use the delay between a sporting match and television broadcast to bet live from the venue. It requires information to be relayed from inside the stadium to overseas gamblers who then place bets online before the bookmakers learn the results. WNBL games are streamed on about a one-minute delay, making it vulnerable to the gamblers. “There has definitely been courtsiding issues in the WNBL. All clubs were sent a reminder after a couple of incidents,” Christy Collier-Hill, the head of the WNBL, told The West Australian. “Clubs must display courtsiding notices for people entering the stadium, and the club and game commissioner must be vigilant and keep an eye out for courtsiders. If they find them they must be ejected from the stadium and reported to the integrity department at Basketball Australia. “You can pick them from a mile off. They are telling whoever is on the other end of the phone what is happening in the game because of the time delay. It appears they are talking to people overseas.” This is not the first time the issue has hit Australian sport. Big Bash cricket was targeted in NSW during December, with one man evicted for using a laptop and mobile phone to relay live information from the match overseas. Tennis has long had an issue with courtsiding given the number of live betting options available for each match. State-based NBL1 basketball competitions also reported problems with courtsiding during their season. Live betting options have exploded in recent years, with gamblers able to wager on scores and margins at different points of matches, individual player points tallies and the total points scored. Australian bookmakers are banned from accepting live bets via the internet. Unlike overseas, customers are required to take the extra time to place all live bets over the phone. Sports crack down hard on any behaviour that threaten integrity. The WNBL fined Sydney Flames $5000 last week after the club breached the league’s mobile phone rules. While there was no suggestion the Flames’ phones were used for anything sinister, the league recognised the risks of phones being accessible during games. The AFL found itself engulfed in scandal last season when field umpire Michael Pell was sacked after police arrested him and three other men in relation to suspicious betting on the Brownlow Medal. That investigation hasn’t been completed. Basketball Australia’s integrity department receives information about suspicious betting from Australian bookmakers, but can’t control overseas markets. The WNBL also has a policy against the league or clubs accepting gambling sponsorship. “They throw a lot of money at sport but we don’t think it’s right,” Ms Collier-Hill said. “Anything you can bet on has these types of problems.”