There are just some things you should not do when you are a professional athlete and one of those is betting on your sport. Mathieu Moncourt, a French tennis player, found that out the hard way when he was fined and banned from the sport for eight weeks after he was found guilty of betting on the outcome of matches.

A hearing was held on Friday where Mathieu was found guilty of breaking Article C1 of the ATP Tennis Anti-Corruption Program for 2008. Article C1 states that players are not to wager on the outcome or any other aspect of an event, tennis matches or competitions. Moncourt was found guilty of placing wagers from June to September of 2005.

The investigation began against Moncourt in November 2007, when the ATP received information from a Memorandum of Understanding signed with the European Sports Security Association that was signed in January 2007.

Moncourt was found guilty of wagering on the outcomes of certain events but was not charged with tampering the outcome. Dr. Peter Bratschithe chaired the Hearing and determined these rulings. In addition to the ban, Moncourt must pay a fine of $12,000 US dollars.

Gayle David Bradshaw, the ATP Executive Vice President, stated: "Everyone in our sport has a duty to uphold all the rules designed to protect the integrity of tennis and the ATP will continue to instigate disciplinary proceedings against anyone found to have committed an offence." He also stated that he was glad of the verdict and hoped that the rulings would keep others from participating in gambling activities of the sport. Bradshaw also said that gambling on any form of tennis match is strictly prohibited and is clearly stated in the ATP’s Tennis Anti-Corruption Program.


- 2008-08-15