NRL betting probe: police hunt four more
Georgina Robinson
March 4, 2011 - 10:59AM
Police have released the CCTV images of four men they want to speak to about an alleged NRL betting scam.
Canterbury Bulldogs player Ryan Tandy has already
been charged in the probe, while player agent Sam Ayoub and ex-player John Elias
were arrested yesterday.
The four men are alleged to have placed bets of up to $500 the day before the game between the Bulldogs and North Queensland Cowboys last August.
Advertisement: Story continues below
This man was seen placing a bet on Liverpool Road, Ashfield.
Gangs Squad Commander Detective Superintendent Arthur Katsogiannis repeatedly stressed during a press conference this morning that there was no suggestion the men "committed an offence or did anything unlawful" but that "they may have information that could assist us".
"These are serious allegations. We haven't treated them lightly and we don't go out and charge people lightly either unless we have reasonable cause to believe there is enough evidence there to prepare criminal charges."
He would not speculate on the identity of the men, saying that the images were released because they could not be identified.
Police want to speak to this man who was seen placing a bet on Botany Road, Beaconsfield on Friday August 20.
"I can confirm that the bets that were placed by these individuals were on the first scoring option that the Cowboys would kick a penalty goal. ... The odds started at 13 to 1 and went down as low as 3 to 1.
"From what we were told by the chief steward, the earlier the bets were placed, the higher the odds."
The men were all captured on CCTV placing bets on Friday, August 20, in betting facilities at Beaconsfield, Ashfield and Townsville, in Queensland, police said.
- The first man is seen placing a bet on Botany Road, Beaconsfield, between 11am and 11.20am. He is described as being of Middle Eastern/ Mediterranean appearance, of slim build, with short black hair, aged in his late 20s, and wearing a dark suit, light shirt and black shoes.
- The second man is seen placing a bet on Liverpool Road, Ashfield, between 5.20pm and 5.36pm. He is described as being of white/European appearance, of medium/solid build, with grey hair, aged in his late 40s to early 50s, and wearing a dark long-sleeved shirt, black shorts and glasses.
- The third and fourth men are seen placing bets at a hotel on Sturt Street in Townsville, between 4.16pm and 4.22pm. One is described as being of white/European appearance, of muscular build, with a beard/goatee, aged in his 20s, and wearing a yellow polo-style shirt, black baseball cap with a motif on the front. The other is described as being white/ European appearance, of slim build, with short brown hair, aged in his 20s and wearing a black T-shirt with a large motif on the front.
These men were seen placing bets at a hotel on Sturt Street in Townsville.
Detective Superintendent Katsogiannis appealed to the four men or anyone else with information to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. "All information will be treated with the strictest confidence," he said.
- with Glenda Kwek
