A UK man is the first person charged in Victoria with "courtsiding" at a tennis match, with police alleging he placed bets on point outcomes at the Australian Open.
The 22-year-old, in Melbourne for the event, was arrested after a match on Tuesday afternoon following intelligence received by Tennis Australia and passed onto police.
Deputy Commissioner Graham Ashton said authorities are continuing to monitor the event, as intelligence suggests others are in Melbourne with the intention of courtsiding and a syndicate is involved.
No players are believed to be involved.
Mr Ashton said the offence occurs when someone sitting on the side of the court uses an electronic device to send a signal to someone elsewhere who can then bet on the outcome of a spot in an event, such as a serve.
That bet is able to be placed before the legitimate bookmaking agencies are able to close off their betting on that particular incident.
Mr Ashton says it mostly concerns overseas betting where overseas bookmakers bet on Australian sports.
Courtsiding was made illegal in Victoria last year, with new laws introduced covering offences related to cheating at gambling.
The UK man has been charged with one count of engaging in conduct that would corrupt a betting outcome, punishable by up to 10 years' jail.
He was released on bail to appear in the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Thursday with one of the bail conditions barring him attending the Australian Open.
The new laws have been used in relation to illegal betting on soccer but it is the first time they have been used in regard to tennis.
There was an incident at the tennis last year but the legislation did not exist in Victoria at that time, Mr Ashton said.
"I'm not aware of an example anywhere in the world where the courtsiding's been able to be dealt with in a criminal setting," he said on Wednesday.
Mr Ashton says the incident, which is thought to involve a syndicate, should serve as a stern warning to overseas syndicates looking to come to Australia and cheat on betting.
Police are working with overseas enforcement agencies to identify the recipient of the information in this case.
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