March 04, 2008

Luzzi fifth Italian banned for betting on tennis matches

The ATP banned during the weekend Federico Luzzi, the fifth Italian tennis player to be banned for betting on tennis matches. According to the report, Luzzi placed 273 bets on 836 matches between May 2004 and April 2007. Federico Luzzi, who is the world number 139, was fined $50,000 and banned for 200 days. Although Luzzi was not found to have tried to alter the outcome of matches, his behavior was deemed to have been contrary to the ATP's anti-corruption program. ATP also said that the tennis player had placed only one bet on himself - that he would win - for the small amount of $4.50.

Luzzi is now the fifth Italian tennis player to be suspended recently for betting on tennis. Fellow Italians Giorgio Galimberti, Potito Starace, Daniele Bracciali and Alessio Di Mauro were also banned for tennis betting. Galimberti was suspended for 100 days and fined $35,000 by the ATP for wagering on matches, although it's not clear if he bet on himself. Starace was suspended in December for six weeks and fined $30,000, Bracciali was banned for three months and fined $20,000, and Di Mauro drew a nine-month suspension in November and fined $60,000. All of the players bet on other players' tennis matches.