Australian Open fan Daniel Dobson, the first person arrested in Australia for gambling courtside at the tennis event, "was sitting in Show Court 2 at the Australian Open with a device hidden in his shorts, a court has heard," according to Mark Russell of the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD. Dobson, 22, allegedly "used the device to send information to his mobile phone which was forwarded to an overseas international betting agency to give it an advantage." He had "arrived in Australia from Britain on Sunday." The "maximum penalty is 10 years' jail" (SMH, 1/16). The AAP reported police prosecutor Josh Diemar said that Dobson "sent the agency the results before they could get them through official channels." Diemar added that "had the ability to affect betting odds." Diemar: "That (data) has been sent quicker than the official results can get posted." Dobson's lawyer, Sass Nasimi, said that his client was "simply collecting data for the betting agency." The agency, Sporting Data, released a statement "defending Mr Dobson's actions and its business practices, denying any corrupt activity." The statement said, "Sporting Data has never been, and never will be, involved in any type of match-fixing" (AAP, 1/17).
