A new account was opened. It tried to win $68k on single Dally M bet

A range of new betting accounts were used solely to orchestrate a plunge on last year's Dally M trifecta, including one attempt to win almost $70,000 with a single bet on the little known novelty option.

NSW Police have broadened an investigation into suspicious betting on last year's awards, which has already resulted in police charges against two men for allegedly using inside information to profit from Craig Bellamy's winning the coach-of-the-year award.

The Herald can reveal alarm bells started ringing on another aspect of the awards when one of Australia's largest bookmakers fielded a flurry of bets from up to four accounts, which were activated about a week before the ceremony.

The accounts then started successfully backing the winning trifecta option of the Roosters' James Tedesco, Melbourne's Cameron Smith and the Eels' Mitchell Moses, the top three votegetters at rugby league's night of nights.

The NRL integrity unit was earlier referred a complaint about suspicious betting patterns on the Dally M trifecta combination and police are now looking into potentially a second sting away from Bellamy's win.

Sources familiar with the money trail have told the Herald one wagering operator which offered the trifecta market was immediately asked to accept a mammoth $2000 bet at $34 on the Tedesco-Smith-Moses option.

It came from an account that had only just been registered once the bookmaker's trifecta betting was open, about a week before the Dally M awards.

The wager would have collected $68,000 if it had been confirmed, but it's understood the bet was eventually restricted to win about $10,000.

Regardless, a range of smaller bets kept coming for the Tedesco-Smith-Moses option from the same account and other freshly opened registers before the bookmaker closed the market a day before the awards.

The winning combination had shortened its price considerably to $9 with the operator. The bookmaker is believed to have lost close to $100,000 alone on the Dally M trifecta market, which was open only for a little over a week.

Another bookmaker also recorded a wild fluctuation on the Tedesco-Smith-Moses pick, prompting punters to raise concerns before the NRL integrity unit probe.

A number of significant bets on Moses to finish in the top three of the overall Dally M count have also been red-flagged, some of which came from accounts that had only just been opened and were wagering on the trifecta market.

In a statement provided to the Herald, NSW police confirmed their investigation had extended beyond the coach-of-the-year betting.

"Police are aware of irregular betting activity regarding markets connected to the NRL's Dally M player of the Year award in 2019," the statement said.

"Inquiries are being conducted and NSW Police continue to work closely with the NRL and betting agencies to ensure the integrity of the game is upheld."

The Dally M votes are collated after the final round of the regular season and last year's count was revealed more than three weeks later at the Hordern Pavilion.

The leaderboard and voting was not made public after round 12 last year. At the half-way point of the season Tedesco and Smith were in a share of fourth on 12 points, three behind early leader Mitchell Pearce with Moses seventh on 11 points.

The NRL sensationally banned all future betting on the Dally M awards earlier this month, forcing bookmakers to refund thousands of dollars on bets already placed on who would be the game's best player in 2020.

Tedesco was considered a favourite for back-to-back Dally Ms.

Two men who were NRL contractors running the technology platform used to compile votes on four different awards last year will face court in August.

StatEdge owner Joshua Wilson, 29, and general manager Ben Trevisiol, 31, are accused of placing bets on Bellamy to win Coach of the Year within an hour of informing the NRL via email the Melbourne coach had won the award.

Wilson and Trevisiol are not involved in the new inquiries related to the trifecta markets.

Police allege Wilson told NRL integrity unit investigators last year he made a "stupid mistake" at the pub the night the bets started rolling in after telling friends who had won the Coach of the Year honour.

It was the same night the NRL opened its finals series with a Roosters-Rabbitohs blockbuster.

Police are still investigating bets from the pair's acquaintances.