Wimbledon using undercover 'spotters' to clamp down on gambling sharks in stands - who try to make thousands by placing bets before the score is screened on TV

Daily Mail​

11-07-2025

Wimbledon uses undercover 'spotters' to clamp down on gambling sharks in the stands who try to make a fortune by placing bets before the score is screened on TV.
The club has ejected several so-called 'courtsiders' this championship who exploit the delay before umpires press a button to record the point and it is broadcast.
Organised crime and betting syndicates thousands of miles away send in men who use modified phones to beam back the score instantly so they can make 'sure thing' bets.
One even claimed they used result-pinging devices hidden in their shoes.
It is driven by an explosion in in-play betting which now makes up over 75 per cent of all tennis wagers. This allows punters to gamble live on individual sets, games or even points.
Wimbledon blocks visitors accessing gambling sites on its Wi-Fi and a no-fly zone is imposed to prevent drones monitoring the action from above.
It also employs a team that mingles in the stands on the lookout for courtsiders. They share intelligence with other tournaments on notorious offenders.
A source said some have attempted to get into SW19 in disguise with one identified despite having dyed his hair red.
But the championships have become known as the 'Fort Knox' on the tour in preventing the practice.
A courtsiders forum advised anyone attempting the practice to avoid Wimbledon after an accomplice was caught within 15 minutes of arriving – before they even made it into a court.
It prompted them to speculate that the club uses facial recognition software – though bosses refused to divulge the exact details of its technology on security grounds.
A source said: 'Wimbledon is a Fort Knox of propriety and fairness.
'We go to great lengths to stop people exploiting our sport in any way, including by taking advantage of any unavoidable technical issue to make money.
'It takes a great deal of time, effort and expertise to monitor courtsiders whose activities have increased rapidly with the rise in in-play gambling.
'Rather than simply betting on the outcome of individual matches or who will win the championships, syndicates now gamble the outcome of individual sets, games or even individual points.
'It obviously creates many more opportunities for people to make money by exploiting the system.'
The International Tennis Integrity Agency has previously helped tournaments identify courtsiders and knows the tell-tale signs.
Adrian Bassett, Director of Communications, said: 'Tournament organisers will have their own teams. Wimbledon will have their own group of people who will be looking out for suspicious looking people.
'Sometimes it is people with multiple phones looking like they are filming things.
'In general it's about beating the feed that's going to the betting company. So if you can get the message through that a point is finished before the official data.
'At certain events the data will come directly from the umpire's device. There will always be a slight delay from when someone punches in the score.
'If you are in the crowd and you can get there quicker there is a small window of opportunity.
'The spotters will be one aspect, I'm sure they will have other methods as well.'
A spokesman for the All England Club said: 'We are committed to ensuring the highest levels of integrity in our competition and we take active steps to preserve this.
'Our security teams have identified a small number of individuals engaged in courtsiding and they have taken swift action to remove them from the grounds.'