BBL04: Court sider evicted for suspicious betting practices from ANZ Stadium and SCG

CRICKET World Cup organisers have been placed on red alert after a man was ejected from BBL games for suspicious betting practices.

Big Bash League - Sydney v Brisbane

CRICKET World Cup organisers have been placed on red alert after a man was ejected from Big Bash League matches at the SCG and ANZ Stadium over the weekend for suspicious betting practices.

The man in question is believed to be an intelligent and mathematically minded British national, who is a serial offender well known to police, Cricket Australia and the International Cricket Council as a “court sider”.

The practice of court siding involves people, usually professional gamblers, at live events manipulating betting markets to gain an unfair advantage against overseas punters who are betting on matches on television delays of up to 12 seconds.

Court siding is illegal in Victoria but not in other Australian states and the man — who offended twice last summer as well — has not been charged by police, however his actions contradict CA’s strict terms of entry to stadiums.

There is no suggestion of player involvement in these instances.

However, authorities have vowed to jump all over court siding incidents, aware that it is a potential facilitator for match fixing if not monitored.

A man was ejected from Big Bash League matches at the SCG and ANZ Stadium over the weekend for suspicious betting practices.

CA is working through a complicated process to have the man banned from stadiums around the country, which would then see him charged with trespassing if he reoffends in the future.

“We do everything we can to protect the integrity of the game,” a CA spokesman said.

“This man was identified and promptly evicted from the last two matches in Sydney for breaching our terms of entry.

“He is known to police and the ICC.”

At Friday night’s Sydney Sixers and Melbourne Renegades clash the man was using a laptop when confronted by police, ICC anti-corruption officials and stadium security.

At Sunday’s Sydney Thunder and Brisbane Heat fixture, he was found sitting behind the bowler’s arm using a laptop and phone — and has since been banned by area police from Sydney Olympic Park.

Last summer he was also ejected from a BBL game at Etihad Stadium in Melbourne and a one-day international at the SCG.

Although it’s impossible to live bet online during cricket matches in Australia due to strict internet security blocks, court siders can make phone calls overseas or use illegal offshore betting sites to place bets.

The weekend’s events act as a worrying and timely example of how the game’s showpiece event hosted on Australian and New Zealand shores might be a prime target for cricket’s seedy underbelly.

The fact the man has only been black-listed from Sydney Olympic Park at this stage highlights what a complex process it’s to outlaw and prevent such dodgy behaviours from happening.

Different laws across the States make banning and prosecution difficult, with a lack of statutes in Western Australia making Perth games hardest to enforce.

At this stage, cricket authorities aren’t aware of other court siders based in Australia, however they say they wouldn’t be surprised if there are more out there.

The World Cup, a 44-day event with matches both major and minor taking place across Australia and New Zealand, could be a potential hot bed for suspicious activity.

The ICC’s Anti-Corruption Unit is directly in charge of monitoring the World Cup, and they will be out in force at all World Cup venues, conscious that obscure matches could be the biggest targets.

They have no law enforcement authority, but have the support of local police across Australia and New Zealand and have been engaging with them on anti-corruption plans for several months.

NSW police confirmed a man was ejected from the SCG on Friday night.

“Surry Hills police assisted Sydney Cricket Ground security staff in removing a person from the ground,” said a NSW police spokesman.

“There were no criminal charges. It’s really a matter for Cricket Australia.”