Armenians Charged In Belgium Over Match-Fixing

Five Armenians have been charged in Belgium with corruption, money laundering and other crimes as part of an international investigation into match-fixing in tennis, prosecutors said on Wednesday (Jun 6).

Belgian prosecutors said the matches were on the low-level Futures and Challenger circuits, away from the gaze of television coverage and where meagre prize money leaves players susceptible to backhanders.

Prosecutors said on Tuesday the probe showed the criminal network worked to bribe professional tennis players to fix matches and fraudulently boost the winnings of bettors who knew.

They said the suspects, usually jobless with financial problems, would receive money to bet on matches in lower-division tournaments where prize money was around US$5,000 to US$15,000.