Wimbledon Unleashed Undercover Agents to Catch Betting Spies

Posted on: July 14, 2025, 07:00h. 

Last updated on: July 16, 2025, 05:35h.

Philip Conneller @casinoorgphilc Read More
Expertise: Gaming Business, Regulation, Tribal Gaming.
  • Undercover spotters patrolled Wimbledon to catch illegal bettors
  • Courtsiders used hidden devices to relay match data instantly
  • Organizers possibly used facial recognition to detect offenders

While Jannik Sinner was putting on a masterclass on Sunday to beat Carlos Alcaraz for his first Wimbledon title, a team of “spotters” were scanning the crowds to ensure illegal gambling syndicates weren’t profiting on the side.

Wimbledon 2025, courtsiding, illegal sports betting, in-play betting, gambling syndicates
Finally! Jannik Sinner, above,  beat Carlos Alcaraz after five consecutive attempts to win the Wimbledon title on Sunday. Meanwhile, “courtsiders” were not welcome. (Image: Shutterstock)

This is the first year that Wimbledon officials have employed undercover operatives among the throng of tennis fans to identify “courtsiders” – agents of syndicates who are tasked with relaying points faster than the official broadcast to exploit split-second latencies in betting markets.

Courtsiders Out

Several so-called “courtsiders” were ejected from the stands at this year’s tournament, The Daily Mail reports. The role of a courtsider is to transmit data from the match before an umpire can press a button to record the point and it is broadcast.

Typically, they use concealed tech such as modified smartphones and hidden earpieces to achieve this dubious goal.

This could allow a gambling syndicate – some of which may be linked to organized crime – to gain a serious edge via the in-play betting markets, where wagers can be placed on the minutiae of a game rather than the eventual winner of a match.

What is Courtsiding in Tennis?

Courtsiding in tennis is nothing new. It was flagged as early as the 2013 Australian Open, but Australia at the time lacked a legal framework to fight it.

That changed later that year when the state of Victoria passed the Crimes Amendment (Integrity in Sports) Act 2013, which made courtsiding a criminal offense, punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

At the following Australian Open, authorities arrested British man Daniel Dobson under the newly enacted law. Dobson had been transmitting points live via a device concealed in his shoe.

Courtsiding is not specifically illegal in the UK or the US, but it is banned by tennis authorities in both countries and elsewhere.

Proactive Moves

Until now, most efforts to combat gambling syndicates at Wimbledon have involved reacting to suspicious betting patterns. But chatter on a courtsiders’ internet forum suggested tournament organizers had upped their game.

One poster on the forum said they had been rumbled within 15 minutes of arriving at Wimbledon – before they even made it into a court – per the Mail, suggesting tournament organizers were also using facial recognition technology to spot serial offenders.

“Wimbledon is a Fort Knox of propriety and fairness,” a Daily Mail “source” said this week. “We go to great lengths to stop people exploiting our sport in any way, including by taking advantage of any unavoidable technical issue to make money.”