Summary There was no evidence at all for the matter to proceed, says Dobson's lawyer David Galbally.
MELBOURNE (AFP) - A British man accused of "courtsiding" by sending live point-by-point information to an English betting agency during the Australian Open tennis tournament Thursday had the charge against him dropped, reports said.
Daniel Dobson, 22, had been accused of using a device hidden in his shorts and hooked up to a mobile phone to send point updates from the Grand Slam to Britain before they were available through official channels.
But the charge of engaging in conduct that would corrupt a betting outcome was formally withdrawn in Melbourne Magistrates Court on Thursday, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation said.
"There was no evidence at all for the matter to proceed," Dobson s lawyer David Galbally said.
Dobson, who was arrested in Melbourne in January after police received a tip-off from Tennis Australia, was the first person charged under new legislation in Australia s Victoria state aimed at cracking down on illegal betting practices.
Prosecutors had told an earlier hearing that he was one of six people engaged in "courtsiding" around the world and had previously been asked to leave a tournament in New Zealand.
Dobson s lawyers argued their client was merely collecting information for the betting agency.
"Courtsiding" involves placing one person at a sports event who relays match details to another, usually overseas, to place bets.
The system takes advantage of the short time-lag, usually a matter of seconds, between play and live international broadcasts on television.
