NRL betting Scandal

Leading rugby league player-manager Sam Ayoub has been arrested in connection with the police investigation into suspicious betting activity on a game last August.
Another man, 49, was arrested by police about 9.45am at a home in Punchbowl before being taken to Bankstown police station. Charges are expected to be laid.
Detectives are also executing a search warrant at a business premises on Hay Street in Leichhardt.

About 11am today, Ayoub, 49, was arrested by detectives from the Casino and Racing Investigation Unit after he went to Campsie police station. Charges are expected to be laid.
Additional charges have also been laid against Bulldogs prop Ryan Tandy in court this morning, to do with his allegedly having provided false and misleading evidence to a NSW Crime Commission hearing.
Today's arrests follow investigations by police into an alleged illegal betting activity surrounding the Round 24 NRL match between the Bulldogs and the Cowboys.
Strike Force Suburb comprises detectives from the Firearms and Organised Crime Squad's Casino and Racing Investigation Unit and was established to investigate the alleged incident. Investigations are continuing.
Police laid an additional three charges against Tandy, 29, at Downing Centre Local Court in relation to three separate incidents relating to giving false/misleading evidence at a NSW Crime Commission hearing.
Tandy was previously arrested by police in Sydney's CBD on February 2.
Earlier, Tandy pleaded not guilty to lying to the NSW Crime Commission about his betting activity on two NRL games last year.
Tandy, 29, appeared today at the Downing Centre Local Court on four charges of giving evidence that was false or misleading at two Crime Commission hearings.
Police allege that, at a hearing on January 20, Tandy lied about his "betting activity with [former journalist] John Schell".
Then at a second hearing, on February 2, police say he gave false or misleading evidence about:
- Having a conversation discussing his position on the field at kick-off during a Bulldogs v Cowboys game in August last year.
- His betting activity and access to his TAB account.
- Having placed a bet on the Bulldogs v Titans game on June 18 last year.
The NSW Crime Command's Racing and Casino Investigation Unit has been examining suspicious betting on the clash between the Bulldogs and the North Queensland Cowboys.
The incident involved a plunge on a betting option that the first points of the game would come from a penalty goal.
Tandy was penalised two minutes into the game for impeding Cowboys playmaker Grant Rovelli in front of the posts.
The Cowboys did not opt for a kick at goal, but chose to take a quick tap and scored a try out wide.
After he pleaded not guilty today, Tandy's bail was continued and the case was adjourned to April 7.

Punters stood to win hundreds of thousands of dollars in winnings from the NRL betting scandal involving Bulldogs player Ryan Tandy and two other men.

Police have released the CCTV images of four men they want to speak to about an alleged NRL betting scam.

Canterbury Bulldogs player Ryan Tandy has already been charged in the probe, while player agent Sam Ayoub and ex-player John Elias were arrested yesterday.

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This man was seen placing a bet on Liverpool Road, Ashfield, in Sydney.
The four men are alleged to have placed bets of up to $500 the day before the game between the Bulldogs and North Queensland Cowboys last August.

Gangs Squad Commander Detective Superintendent Arthur Katsogiannis repeatedly stressed during a press conference this morning that there was no suggestion the men "committed an offence or did anything unlawful" but that "they may have information that could assist us".

"These are serious allegations. We haven't treated them lightly and we don't go out and charge people lightly either unless we have reasonable cause to believe there is enough evidence there to prepare criminal charges."


Police want to speak to this man who was seen placing a bet on Botany Road, Beaconsfield, in Sydney.
He would not speculate on the identity of the men, saying the images were released because the men could not be identified.

"I can confirm that the bets that were placed by these individuals were on the first scoring option that the Cowboys would kick a penalty goal.

"The odds started at 13 to 1 and went down as low as 3 to 1.


These men were seen placing bets at a hotel on Sturt Street in Townsville.
"From what we were told by the chief steward, the earlier the bets were placed, the higher the odds.

"I believe that at one stage it was up to $50,000 that was on this particularly exotic bet."

The men were all captured on CCTV placing bets on Friday, August 20, at betting facilities in Beaconsfield and Ashfield in NSW, and Townsville in Queensland, police said.

The first man is seen placing a bet on Botany Road, Beaconsfield, between 11am and 11.20am. He is described as being of Middle Eastern/ Mediterranean appearance, of slim build, with short black hair, aged in his late 20s, and wearing a dark suit, light shirt and black shoes.

The second man is seen placing a bet on Liverpool Road, Ashfield, between 5.20pm and 5.36pm. He is described as being of white/European appearance, of medium/solid build, with grey hair, aged in his late 40s to early 50s, and wearing a dark long-sleeved shirt, black shorts and glasses.

The third and fourth men are seen placing bets at a hotel on Sturt Street in Townsville, between 4.16pm and 4.22pm. One is described as being of white/European appearance, of muscular build, with a beard/goatee, aged in his 20s, and wearing a yellow polo-style shirt, black baseball cap with a motif on the front. The other is described as being white/ European appearance, of slim build, with short brown hair, aged in his 20s and wearing a black T-shirt with a large motif on the front.

Detective Superintendent Katsogiannis did not answer a question about the level of betting activity on the Bulldogs-Cowboys game compared with other games, saying only that police were reliant on the advice of experts more familiar with the industry.

"For a start I don't bet. I'm not an expert on the betting. We've relied on advice. The advice we've had at hand was that usually exotic bets only bring a very, very minimal amount of bets - possibly about $500," he said.

He said a cumulative amount of up to $50,000 was placed on this particular bet.

Detective Superintendent Katsogiannis added that the NRL has been extremely co-operative and "have left no stone unturned" in helping police with their investigations.

He appealed to the four men or anyone else with information to phone Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

"All information will be treated with the strictest confidence," he said.