24-year old unranked British player will serve a three month suspension and pay a $500 fine
British tennis player Patrick Keane has been suspended from professional tennis for six months and fined $5,000 for betting on tennis offences. Three months of the suspension and $4,500 of the fine are suspended on condition that he commits no further breaches of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program (TACP).
On that basis, Mr Keane will serve a three month suspension, effective from 30 March 2020, and pay a fine of $500.
Independent Anti-Corruption Hearing Officer Jane Mulcahy QC adjudicated the case and imposed the disciplinary sanction, noting in mitigation the player’s co-operation, his admission of the offences and that none of the bets involved matches in which he played.
When interviewed as part of a Tennis Integrity Unit investigation into the case, Mr Keane admitted to holding four betting accounts and to placing six bets on tennis matches between 18 August 2019 and 18 September 2019.
As a result, he is suspended from competing in, or attending any sanctioned event organised or recognised by the governing bodies of the sport from Monday 30 March 2020 to Monday 29 June 2020.
All betting on tennis by players and other Covered Persons is strictly prohibited, as per Section D.1.a of the TACP, which states:
“No Covered Person shall, directly or indirectly, wager, conspire to wager or attempt to wager on the outcome or any other aspect of any Event or any other tennis competition.”
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 01 April 2020 12:00
