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From today’s SMH by Chris Barrett:
THE NRL will move to censure Parramatta halfback Brad Murray for placing a bet on a game, with the penalty of deregistration not being ruled out for what is considered by the game’s administrators a serious offence.
The 20-year-old, who has joined the Eels from the Roosters, was shown on CCTV footage last August at a Flemington hotel to have placed a wager at a TAB counter on the exotic option of North Queensland scoring first with a penalty goal in their match against Canterbury two days later.
A major plunge on the usually novelty option, first reported by the Herald, subsequently became the focus of a brief investigation by Racing NSW chief steward Ray Murrihy before the matter was forwarded to police. Punters stood to win more than $250,000.
There is no suggestion Murray was in any way involved in criminal activity in placing the bet. However, the NRL’s regulations prohibit players from betting on competition matches, and regardless of the outcome of the police and NSW Crime Commission inquiries, he will face action from the central body.
That process will likely begin by next month, with sources saying the investigation by the State Crime Command’s Racing and Casino Investigation Unit will conclude shortly. More than 80 people have been interviewed. Murray’s penalty will depend largely on the size of the bet he placed.
The NRL, having left the digging into betting on the Cowboys-Bulldogs game with police since Murrihy’s initial search of bets lodged, have not yet been told how much money he placed on the option that afternoon. But when they are informed of the details they are expected to act quickly. ‘‘Anything that the police come up with will be looked at closely,’’ NRL official John Brady said. ‘‘There are a range of penalties that cover everything from deregistration to a fine. It has to fit what the offence is. They go across all codes of conduct and contractual issues.’’
The Herald spoke briefly with Murray last week but he declined to comment. It is understood he was one of the key individuals summoned to assist the NSW Crime Commission, the coercive powers of which were utilised to further the hunt for evidence into betting on the Cowboys-Bulldogs game. Murray is being represented by solicitor Danny Eid, who is also acting for Murray’s agent, Sam Ayoub, and Bulldogs front-rower Ryan Tandy, another Ayoub client. Eid has not returned the Herald’s calls, nor have Ayoub or Tandy. Tandy and Ayoub have denied any involvement in the plunge on the game. It was reported last October that Ayoub also placed a bet on a Cowboys penalty goal, although that is not illegal.
The alleged sting was ultimately unsuccessful after the Cowboys declined a chance to kick an easy goal after two minutes, and instead scored a try. Tandy, who was penalised in front of the posts for laying on Cowboys half Grant Rovelli, strongly denied giving it away intentionally in an interview with the Herald published on August 28.
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Also from the Sun-Herald of 23.1.2011 by Adrian Proszenko:
CRIMINAL laws are set to be overhauled to make it easier to prosecute match fixers and gambling conspirators in the wake of the NRL betting scandal.
The Sun-Herald can reveal that NSW Law Reform Commission chairman Justice James Wood, QC, a former NSW Supreme Court judge and royal commissioner, is overseeing the commission’s review of ‘‘cheating at gambling’’ legislation.
The outcome will have big ramifications for the betting and sports industries as the proposals the review puts forward are likely to become the basis for uniform national legislation.
‘‘What we’ll be looking at is how to best create an offence that deals with a person who either offers to a player or someone else to fix an event [or] who agrees to fix an event,’’ Wood said.
''We’ve got the reference to come up with a good set of provisions which will allow this activity to be both investigated - and that’s difficult at the moment - and also prosecuted.
''We have an Unlawful Gambling Act, which is supposed to deal with cheating in the context of any form of gambling, but it has real problems. It just doesn’t catch the situation of match fixing or event fixing.
‘‘One of the difficulties is if you’re relying on the old-fashioned common law offence of conspiracy to cheat and defraud, there’s the issue of whether policing authorities can get telephone intercept … and there’s also no specified sentence.’’
A cloud has hung over the Bulldogs-Cowboys game of August 21 since the story broke about a bizarre betting plunge on the first scoring play option. It is understood that police are close to concluding investigations.
However, any new laws will not be implemented in time to have an impact on the case, which has been referred to the Crime Commission.
Wood has written to all the major sporting, betting and law enforcement bodies and there is a deadline of February 14 for preliminary submissions. A consultation paper will be made public before the start of the NRL season.
‘‘We’re not looking at any particular sport but I’m certainly in a situation to identify the kinds of events that are capable of manipulation and the kinds of bets that can be put on,’’ Wood said.
‘‘The other question we will be looking at is whether insider trading should effectively apply in this context [in which] the gambler [or agency] has an uneven edge.’’
A Victorian inquiry, which has an even wider scope, will investigate whether certain types of betting - such as betting on the run and exotic options - should be banned. Currently, punters are permitted to wager on live matches over the phone but not via the internet.
Links between gambling and sport again came under the spotlight during the week after the Penrith Panthers confirmed their home ground would be renamed Centrebet Stadium
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And again from the SMH on 16.1.2011 by Adrian Proszenko & Les Kennedy:
RYAN TANDY and Brad Murray are among the people of interest summoned to front a NSW Crime Commission hearing as police finalise their investigation of last season’s NRL betting scandal.
The players will be hauled before the commission this week to be questioned about the unusual betting patterns on the Bulldogs-Cowboys match last August.
Those summoned must truthfully answer all questions or face severe penalties, including jail.
Evidence presented in the hearing is inadmissible in court but will influence whether charges are laid. Police will also consider whether to pass on any information to the NRL.
Police have interviewed more than 80 people after an inordinate amount of money backed North Queensland to open the scoring via a penalty goal in the round 24 match at Dairy Farmers Stadium.
The Cowboys had a chance to do just that after Bulldogs forward Tandy made two mistakes - a sloppy play-the-ball and a penalty for not getting off a tackled player quickly enough. However, Cowboys utility Anthony Watts took a quick tap that led to a try and the alleged sting backfired.
Tandy has denied intentionally giving away a penalty.
The betting plunge occurred just five weeks after Canterbury players attended a seminar on the dangers of gambling.
‘‘We’ve made it clear from the outset that we have co-operated at every opportunity with the NRL and the police,’’ Todd Greenberg, Canterbury’s chief executive, said.
‘‘We’re hoping to have the matter resolved as soon as possible, certainly prior to the start of the season.’’
Tandy is contracted to the Bulldogs until the end of 2012.
A police representative said the investigations were continuing.
Last month police issued a photograph of a person of interest, later identified as Murray.
The 20-year-old halfback, who placed a bet in a Flemington hotel in Sydney’s west, joined Parramatta in the off season after a stint with the Roosters.
The Bulldogs and Eels are awaiting the outcome of the police investigation before deciding their players’ futures.
Tandy, Murray and Watts are all managed by Sam Ayoub, who placed a bet on the Cowboys penalty goal option. It is legal for player agents to wager on matches and Ayoub has denied any wrongdoing.
The Herald broke the story of the betting plunge on August 27, sparking a meeting of police, the NRL and Australian Jockey Club chief steward Ray Murrihy. The matter is understood to be close to being resolved.
Several betting agencies, including TAB Sportsbet, suspended betting on the first-scoring-play option after a deluge of money.
Centrebet media representative Neil Evans said his agency’s odds on a Cowboys penalty goal were cut from $13 to $3 after the plunge, which came from three Sydney clients.
The strengthening link between gambling and rugby league was highlighted during the week when the Herald revealed that Penrith are to rename their home ground Centrebet Stadium.
The move has infuriated the anti-gambling movement. The South Australian senator Nick Xenophon has claimed gambling is ‘‘ruining the game’’.
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why cant players gamble if they arent even from one of the clubs that are playing
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why cant players gamble if they arent even from one of the clubs that are playing
Probably because most players know players at other clubs and it could viewed that they could receive ‘insider information’ so to speak, which in turn could be used to place wagers etc.
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What a stupid thing to do. He’s effectively setback his career by at least a year, and thats if Parramatta decides to persist with him. It didn’t even come to fruition so he’s out of pocket at the TAB as well as possibly being suspended from the game.
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why cant players gamble if they arent even from one of the clubs that are playing
Probably because most players know players at other clubs and it could viewed that they could receive ‘insider information’ so to speak, which in turn could be used to place wagers etc.
Yeah I thought of that but what about friends and relatives of players?
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why cant players gamble if they arent even from one of the clubs that are playing
Probably because most players know players at other clubs and it could viewed that they could receive ‘insider information’ so to speak, which in turn could be used to place wagers etc.
Yeah I thought of that but what about friends and relatives of players?
Impossible to police mate - just ask Craig Field’s dad after 1994!!!
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