The Courtside Ban

The year of 2008 is going to see a bit more focus on putting a stop to match-fixing in tennis. Sort of like tightened security after 9/11…only different…but the same if you use your imagination.

In the newest surge of polishing up professional tennis’ image, laptops will be banned from courtside areas during the Australian Open. Obviously a key tool in online betting, the hope is that banning them will help stop any match-fixing.

“We’ve taken a reasoned, common sense approach to an emerging issue in tennis specifically, and in sport generally,” said Australia boss Steve Wood. “We don’t believe our sport has a corruption problem but we do recognize that a threat to the integrity of tennis exists.”

So there isn’t a corruption problem but we’re banning computers courtside…

You know, maybe there’s a problem and maybe there isn’t. And if there is, then taking whatever steps that seem a plausible answer should be taken. Besides, under Victorian state law - which is where the Australian Open is held - anyone discovered to be throwing a match or other corruption could face a jail sentence of up to 15 years.

Yeouch!