Former Betfair Head of Education Scott Ferguson believes Pinnacle Sports suspended betting on a mixed doubles match at the Australian Open in a "cheap grab at free publicity" as Betfair and the tournament's betting partner, William Hill, reported no suspicious activity on the match, according to Chammas & Bucci of the CANBERRA TIMES.
With debate surrounding recent match-fixing allegations dominating the headlines at Melbourne Park, a report in the N.Y. Times on Monday "intensified speculation after revealing a major sports gambling website had suspended betting on a mixed doubles match after unusually high bets were placed leading into the contest."
Pinnacle Sports "suspended betting on a match between Lara Arruabarrena and David Marrero against Andrea Hlavackova and Lukasz Kubot, because large amounts of money had been wagered on what would normally be an obscure contest."
Ferguson, who still works as a wagering industry consultant, believes Marrero "appears to have previously raised suspicion in regards to inside information, which is why Pinnacle chose to suspended the match he was involved in." Ferguson said,
"Honestly, I think it's a cheap grab at free publicity from Pinnacle. Yes, this Marrero seems to have previous black marks for inside info on his injury, but their limits on this stuff are very small. One of the biggest books in the world, you can bet $50,000 easily on a NFL match, and for this [mixed doubles match], it's max $500" (CANBERRA TIMES, 1/25).
