Unusually large bets placed on an obscure first round Wimbledon encounter have raised suspicion in sports betting circles.
The bets were placed on a match between 109th ranked Wayne Odesnik from the US and 30th ranked Austrian Jurgen Melzer, and resulted in more than 6 time the usual amount being wagered on a first round Wimbledon even at Betfair.
Betfair accepted the bets but notified authorities citing 'extreme bet activity on a relatively obscure encounter'. An investigation will now take place into the match, along with 5 other matches already being investigated from this year's event.
Alarm bells went off at online bet exchange Betfair when a wager of £365,000 was placed on Melzer to win in straight sets. Ladbrokes and Paddy Power also notified authorities of irregular bets on the same event and actually stopped taking bets on the match an hour before it began.
Melzer did in fact go on to win 6-1, 6-4, 6-2. Both Odesnik and Melzer have denied any knowledge of the bets or involvement in a fix.
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