Constant Lestienne suspended and fined for gambling on tennis
French tennis player Constant Lestienne has been suspended for seven months and fined $10,000 after admitting to charges of betting on tennis.
Half of the period of ineligibility (3 months and 2 weeks) is suspended on condition that he commits no further offences under the Tennis AntiCorruption Program (TACP).
$5,000 of the $10,000 fine will be considered paid in full providing Mr Lestienne gives assistance to the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU), which can include anticorruption education for other players.
A TIU investigation secured evidence to confirm that between February 2012 and June 2015, he placed bets on 220 tennis matches through online accounts with Betclic and Pari Mutel Ubain.
The investigation was supported by information provided by the Autorité de Regulation des Jeux en Ligne (ARJEL), the French online gambling regulator.
None of the bets placed involved matches in which Mr Lestienne was playing.
The case was referred to and considered by independent Anti Corruption Hearing Officer,Jane Mulcahy QC, who delivered the disciplinary Decision.
Mr Lestienne, 24, is currently ranked at a career high 164 in singles.
Under the terms of the TACP all players and other Covered Persons are barred from betting on any tennis match. The offence falls under Section D.1.a – No Covered Person shall, directly or indirectly, wager or attempt to wager on the outcome or any other aspectof any Event or any other tennis competition.
The suspension applies with immediate effect and means the player is not allowed to compete in, or attend, any tournament or event organised or sanctioned by the governing bodies of the sport.
The Tennis Integrity Unit is an initiative of the Grand Slam Board, the International Tennis Federation, the ATP and the WTA, who are jointly committed to a zero tolerance approach to corruption in tennis.
Published 21 September 2016 14:58
