Sports federations and authorities across the globe fear for the integrity of sports amid the growing expansion of betting activities. Besides match-fixing, gambling activities may also impact the lives of professional athletes with threats and hateful messages being posted on social media by angered punters.

Tasked with safeguarding, encouraging and enhancing the integrity of professional tennis worldwide, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), constantly monitors the sport. The regulatory body enforces tough penalties against tennis officials and athletes involved in unlawful activities.

On Thursday, the ITIA confirmed it imposed a sanction against one tennis umpire from Slovenia. ITIA’s sanction is against Marko Ducman, a Slovenian international-level tennis official. According to the Agency, the umpire admitted to breaches of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program (TACP) related to gambling.

A statement released by the ITIA confirms that Ducman admitted to a total of four TACP breaches. The violations relate to wagering on tennis matches. Moreover, the Slovenian bronze badge official admitted to manipulating data from matches they officiated and engaged in wagering.

Throughout his career, Ducman officiated at WTA, ATP and ITF tournaments. Due to the aforementioned breaches, he was banned from the sport for 10 years and six months. Ducman was provisionally suspended on September 8, 2023. The ITIA explained that his time under provisional suspension will be credited against the period of the ban. This otherwise means that the umpire’s suspension from the sport will end on March 7, 2034.

The Slovenian Umpire Received a Fine in Addition to the Ban

Besides the 10-year suspension, the ITIA fined Ducman $75,000 with $56,250 suspended. According to the watchdog, the Slovenian tennis official agreed to cooperate fully with its investigation and “accepted an agreed sanction,” effectively waiving his right to a hearing before an independent Anti-Corruption Hearing Officer.

Similar to other bans imposed by the ITIA, the umpire won’t be allowed to officiate at any tennis event sanctioned by the governing bodies of tennis. Additionally, the suspension effectively prohibits him from attending such events as well.

The latest sanction comes after back in September, ITIA provisionally suspended French player Maxence Broville. At the time of the announcement, the Agency confirmed the player failed to comply with one of its demands. Moreover, the ITIA did not rule out the possibility of Broville breaching the TACP rules.

Earlier in the year, ITIA banned for life the French tennis professional player, Alexis Musialek, due to breaches related to match-fixing. Upon announcing the sanction, the watchdog said that it uncovered a total of 39 breaches of the TACP rules.

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The globally-recognized tennis integrity body, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), confirmed Thursday it imposed a tough sanction against a player that was found to have breached the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program (TACP). Judging by a statement released by the Agency, Alexis Musialek, a French professional tennis player, was banned from the sport for life after breaches related to match-fixing.

The professional tennis player who had the highest ATP singles ranking of 255 in 2015 initially denied all charges against him. However, an investigation led by Raj Parker, an independent Anti-Corruption Hearing Officer (AHO), uncovered that Musialek was involved in match-fixing of nine matches between 2016 and 2018. Additionally, it was determined that the French player failed to cooperate with ITIA’s probe and withheld evidence.

Overall, according to ITIA, Musialek was involved in a total of 39 breaches of the TACP rules. According to the Agency: “The 35-year-old was found to have – among other offenses – contrived the outcome of multiple matches, received money, benefit or consideration for contriving the outcome of these matches.” The integrity watchdog also said that Musialek engaged with other players, encouraging them “not to use their best efforts.”

In light of the uncovered breaches, the French tennis player received a lifetime ban from the sport. Additionally, a hefty $50,000 fine was imposed against him. Although it was announced this week, the sanction was in effect as of August 5, 2023, the ITIA confirmed.

The lifetime ban means that Musialek won’t be permitted to play or coach at any event sanctioned or authorized by the governing bodies of tennis permanently. He is also prohibited from attending such events as well.

The Tennis Integrity Watchdog Remains Vigilant

As the independent body, safeguarding the integrity of tennis, ITIA has the authority to implement sanctions which may include fines, temporary or even permanent bans. Earlier this month, the Agency confirmed it imposed provisional suspensions against three players over TACP breaches. At the time, the ITIA alleged that Timur Khabibulin, Sanjar Fayziev and Igor Smilansky were involved in multiple breaches related to match-fixing.

Before that, back in July, the Agency hit the Bolivian tennis umpire, Percy Flores, with a temporary ban from the sport for a duration of 12 years. The tough sanction came after the regulatory watchdog uncovered a whopping 31 breaches of the TACP rules between November 2021 and October 2022.

Again, in July, the ITIA confirmed the launch of a new mandatory integrity education for junior players in collaboration with the International Tennis Federation (ITF). Ultimately, that training seeks to educate and raise awareness about the importance of the sport’s integrity.

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Known for its unparalleled appreciation and ongoing support for sports, Betsson, the premium betting company with over 20 casino, sportsbook, and other games brands has “proudly” announced its latest proof of love for padel tennis. 

The company has become the official title sponsor of the highly-anticipated A1 Padel (formerly ATP) Swedish Master tournament that will be held between July 10 and July 16 in Halmstad. The event will reunite some of the most reputable names in the sport’s history.

Finally, Sweden’s Time to Host the A1 Padel

The Swedish-founded gaming company joined the A1 Padel tournament right on time, as the event is getting ready to unfold in the Scandinavian country for the first time in history. 

Last year, the tournament was supposed to be held in Båstad. However, a last-minute change of location to Tenerife prevented the Swedes from giving a warm welcome to some of the world’s most skilled padel players.

The week-long event will now be held at Halmstad’s main plaza and it will host highly-ranked players including names. The list will include the hot Argentinian duo made of Franco Dal Bianco, A1 Padel’s first-ranked player, and Maximiliano Arce, the equally skilled player who helped Dal Bianco scoop up their fifth title of the season at the Estepark Open final in June when they defeated Fede Mouriño and Ignacio Piotto. 

Together, the two made it to history books by becoming the first qualifiers to make it into the finals and win a title. The July Halmstad tournament will also host Leo Tolito Aguirre, who is considered one of the most talented padel players on the planet, along with other illustrious names that fans of the sport will be thrilled to meet. 

With the help of the new Betsson sponsorship, the Swedish Master will display a prize pool set at SEK 1 million ($93.871). The tournament is currently spread across 18 separate global locations including Buenos Aires, New York, Cape Town, and Miami, helping it surpass the World Padel Tour. 

A1 Padel Sweden, “Delighted to Join Forces with Betsson”

A1 Padel Sweden’s chief executive officer, Christer Garell, expressed their thrill to join hands with the multi-national company that currently employs more than 2,200 people. 

Garell called the tournament “the summer’s biggest padel event” while referring to Betsson as one of the operators with a proven commitment to the padel sport throughout the years especially through their involvement in South America, the cradle of a large number of top players who will be attending this year’s event. 

The CEO also expressed his belief that Betsson will significantly improve the experience of attendees and live viewers who will be watching the competition live on ESPN. 

Using the voice of ambassador Cayetano Rocafort who won two APT competitions in 2021, Betsson further praised the fast growth of the thriving Swedish Master with special emphasis on its evolution in the past five years. 

Last November, ex-professional soccer player Nicole Regnier was appointed as Betsson’s ambassador for Colombia. Betsson Sweden’s managing director, Mattias Wennerkvist, said they were “immensely proud” and considered it to be an honor to be able to show their support for the sport in Halmstad and reaffirm their passion for the padel tennis. 

The MD further added that their dedication will go “beyond mere sponsorship”, with the company getting ready to keep a close eye on the heated action while doing exclusive interviews with the players and offering competitive odds to interested bettors. 

In 2022, the company launched the Betsson Padel Tour, the country’s first-ever national padel tennis amateur tournament.

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The global independent body established to protect the integrity of tennis around the world, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), announced it imposed a new regulatory sanction against a Bolivian tennis chair umpire. The ITIA said that the umpire, Heriberto Morales Churata, received a temporary ban from the sport after an investigation uncovered that he manipulated scores for betting purposes.

The aforementioned breaches, the Agency said, date back to events in 2021, as well as 2022, within the ITF World Tennis Tour. The umpire, who is also a green badge official, manipulated data for some of the events by entering incorrect scores into a handheld device. As a result, Churata was sanctioned by the ITIA with a six-year ban.

In light of the ban, the umpire is prohibited to officiate at any tennis event that is authorized or sanctioned by the governing bodies of tennis. What’s more, the ban restricts Churata from attending events under the ITIA. Besides the six-year ban, the Agency imposed a $10,000 fine against the Bolivian tennis umpire.

“Morales Churata, a green badge official, was found to have manipulated scores for betting purposes by incorrectly entering scores into the handheld device at ITF World Tennis Tour events in 2021 and 2022. In addition to the ban, the official has been fined $10,000,“

explains a statement released by the ITIA

The Tennis Integrity Body Uncovers Multiple Breaches

Upon investigating, the ITIA uncovered multiple breaches of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program (TACP). The integrity watchdog explained that it found that Churata breached Section D.1.b, Section D.1.m and Section D.2.b.i of the 2021 TACP. Those sections prohibit covered persons from manipulating the outcomes of tennis matches and demand any breaches to be reported.

Additionally, the ITIA said that the umpire breached the same sections from the 2022 TACP. Five breaches were recorded for each of the sections, while at the same time, Churata breached Section D.2.b.ii of the 2021 and 2022 TACP. This section in particular requires any suspected manipulations or breaches to be reported.

According to the ITIA, the latest case was dealt under its 2023 TACP “agreed sanction” framework which allows the implementation of a sanction without a hearing and upon admission of the offenses. As a result, Churata’s ban was implemented on December 8, 2022, which marked the start of his provisional suspension. Given the sanction, the umpire will be banned from the sport through December 7, 2028.

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Stats Perform announced that it has agreed to supply Italy’s leading sportsbook, Lottomatica, with a selection of tennis solutions. Thanks to the deal, Lottomatica’s Goldbet and Better brand will be able to benefit from Instant Highlights and Smart Stats Overlays.

Tennis is the latest sport to be covered by these solutions, just as announced by Stats Perform earlier this year. As a result, Lottomatica will become the first operator in Italy to offer the Instant Highlight and Smart Stats Overlays for tennis.

The Instant Highlights solution allows bettors to re-watch important game events while a game is still in play. The solution is also available for football, covering a rich selection of events and leagues, such as Ligue 1, La Liga and 60+ football leagues, as well as WTA, Wimbledon and the Australian Open in terms of tennis competitions.

Smart Stats Overlays, on the other hand, will provide Goldbet and Better players with real-time Opta betting stats on-screen. That solution is also available for football and tennis live streams, providing a plethora of important information to sports bettors.

Both solutions are available to operators through Stat Perform’s plug-and-play Content Player Pro, or an easy-to-use API for custom product development.

Lottomatica Is Pleased to Be Ahead of Its Competitors

Andrew Ashenden, Stats Perform’s chief betting officer, commented on the agreement, saying that Instant Highlights and Smart Stats Overlays deliver what players want, helping operators attract and retain customers. He added that his team is glad to join forces with Lottomatica, which is just about passionate about sports as Stats Perform.

Vincenzo Zeppillo, Stats Perform’s director of betting for Southern Europe, also shared his thoughts. He noted that he is glad that Lottomatica will pioneer the solutions’ new tennis variant.

We’re delighted to help Lottomatica be the first to bring such a high level of sports entertainment to their tennis customers and confident Instant Highlights and Smart Stats Overlays will be a huge success, as they are for football.

Vincenzo Zeppillo, director of betting Southern Europe, Stats Perform

Paolo Manzo, sportsbook director betting & digital Italy at Lottomatica, said that Stats Perform’s solutions will help his team deliver next-gen live streaming experiences to GoldBet and Better players.

We focus relentlessly on enhancing the customer experience and Instant Highlights and Smart Stats Overlays from Stats Perform are powerful tools helping us make every live sports stream more entertaining and more valuable for our customers.

Paolo Manzo, sportsbook director betting & digital Italy, Lottomatica

Manzo concluded that Lottomatica is proud to be the first company in the world to offer highlights and overlays for tennis live streams.

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