ATP says tennis corruption not rife despite scandal

NEW YORK, Aug 31 (Reuters) Etienne de Villiers, the executive chairman of the ATP, said today he did not believe tennis had a serious gambling problem despite a recent betting scandal.

British Internet betting firm Betfair voided bets on a match in Poland this month after it spotted unusual patterns of betting, with more than 7 million dollars wagered, about 10 times the normal amount for such a match.

A number of players have said they have been contacted by people offering them money to lose matches but De Villiers said he did not believe it was flooding the game.

''No player has been sanctioned under our programme and we don't believe there is a corruption problem in the sport,'' De Villiers told a press conference at the US Open today.

In the ATP event in Sopot earlier this month, world number four Nikolay Davydenko won the first set against Martin Vassalo Arguello of Argentina.

But Betfair reported unusual betting patterns.

Despite his being the higher-ranked player, the odds on Davydenko drifted as all the money came in for Arguello.

The Russian eventually quit at 2-1 down in the third set with a foot injury.

Under Betfair's rules, match results stand once the first ball is struck, unlike the traditional bookmakers in Britain, most of whom void bets when there is a retirement.

But in this case, they voided all bets and alerted the ATP.

''We've been very, very close to these online betting people and the reason that we got on to this so quickly is because we got the information real quick,'' De Villiers said.

''We recognised a long, long time ago that online gambling was a threat to the integrity, not just of tennis but of all sport and we have put in stringent procedures.'' De Villiers said the ATP was monitoring the actions of everyone connected with the game, from players and coaches to the media.

''We are now considering introducing a rule that says if you've heard of a gambling incident and you do not report it, that will be a violation of the code.

''And trust me, if we find anyone, be it a player, entourage, anyone, they will have the maximum (life) ban imposed.'' Davydenko, who has denied any involvement, is due to be interviewed next month and De Villiers said it was important not simply to assume guilt.

''This is a traumatic process for everyone,'' he said. ''We need to be fair. We need to be thorough. We need to be comprehensive. There are people's reputations at stake here, too.'' Reuters BJR VP0300