The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) fined former tennis player and current Miami Open tournament director James Blake $56,250 for breaching tennis’ betting sponsorship rules.
Blake was found to have unintentionally violated the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program guidelines that “no covered person shall directly or indirectly, facilitate, encourage and/or promote tennis betting.”
Blake’s position as tournament director of the Miami Open deems him a “covered person.” He cooperated fully with the investigation and did not contest the charge.
“This case is more a matter of perception, rather than corruption,” said Karen Moorhouse, CEO of the ITIA.
“We urge anyone in the sport who is unclear or is considering commercial deals like this to get in touch with us to seek guidance.”
The ITIA accepted that the violation was unintentional. It also issued a suspended fine of $131,250 and a suspended ban of 18 months which do not come into force unless there is a further breach of the rules during an 18-month period that started Feb. 9, 2024.
Blake has held his role with the Miami Open since 2018. He retired as a player in 2013 with 10 singles titles and peaked at No. 4 in the ATP rankings during his career.
Tennis as a sport bars any members who “have the ability to influence results or have access to inside information” from having commercial relationships with gambling companies.
Legal sports betting industry continues its prolific expansion across the United States and $56,250 is no small sum for this sanction. See how it stacks up against the other incidents of athletes betting on sports.
