'Very serious': Police charge two men over Dally M betting sting

NSW Police have charged two men in connection with a Dally M betting scandal that netted thousands of dollars in winnings after Melbourne's Craig Bellamy won the 2019 coach of the year award.

Detectives attached to Strike Force Mirrabei have charged Joshua Wilson, 29, and Ben Trevisiol, 31, with using inside information to bet on an event and possessing inside information to communicate to others to bet on an event.

Ben Trevisiol (far left) and Joshua Wilson (far right) have been charged over the Dally M betting sting. Credit: FACEBOOK

It was Wilson's sports technology company, StatEdge, that ran the Dally M voting for the NRL as part of a contract with the game that saw it also handle team lists and team changes as well as the software for the management of junior competitions.

Trevisiol was the general manager of StatEdge, which also has a contract with Rugby Australia.

NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Stuart Smith said individual bets to win as much as $10,000 were placed on the coach's award. The pair are charged with offences that carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, he said.

"The allegation will be that these two individuals were involved in a company that had ownership of the integrity of the voting outcomes. They were hired by the NRL ... they used the information and they provided it to a number of others," Assistant Commissioner Smith said.

NSW Police executed search warrants at two residences and a business premises last week.Credit: NSW Police

"The investigation now will focus on the individuals who may have benefited from the betting plunge that occurred at the Dally M awards. Obviously we're looking at a number of individuals who may have benefited."

The Herald revealed in March the NRL's integrity unit has referred suspicious betting patterns on the award to the police, whose Casino and Racing Investigation Unit set up a probe into the incident.

They seized electronic material from three properties in Sydney last week to further their investigations, fuelling the charges on Thursday morning.

Assistant Commissioner Smith described the allegations as "very serious" and the suspicious plunge on Bellamy was raised by a number of bookmakers, who contacted the NRL integrity unit.

"The integrity of the NRL competition is paramount to the NSW Police," he said.

"It is not indifferent to what we see in organised crime criminal syndicates that look to gain an advantage. They look towards a particular event that is not of particular interest in terms of the payout in terms of it."

The Herald reported this week that the NRL had sidelined StatEdge from managing its market-sensitive teams lists and team changes as a result of the investigation.

Wilson resigned as chief executive and a director of superannuation group Grow Super two days after the police raids on properties linked to his business.

The two men are due to appear at Downing Centre Local Court on August 20.

Bellamy was sensationally backed into $1.80 favouritism with some bookmakers after originally being considered an outsider in a market that was dominated by Manly's Des Hasler, Canberra's Ricky Stuart and the Eels' Brad Arthur.

The NRL will become the first professional sporting code in Australia to reboot their season after the COVID-19 shutdown on Thursday night when the Broncos clash with the Eels at Suncorp Stadium.