Police now involved in Storm betting plunge

Last night the NRL handed over ma report to police focusing on the Melbourne Storm wooden spoon betting plunge amid revelations punters obtained inside information to net nearly $200,000 in winning bets.

Ray Murrihy, the NSW Racing chief steward, carried out a report into the betting sting months ago, the contents of which were kept secret until they were uncovered yesterday.

In the report, Murrihy found: "privileged information was leaked and used for betting purposes", by punters who had prior knowledge of the Storm salary cap scandal.

One punter won $40,000 from the TAB by backing the Storm at 200/1 less than 24 hours before they lost all their points.

All up, the TAB paid out $70,000 on the Storm wooden spoon option.

Such was the extent of the plunge in three states, Bookmakers and the TAB were forced to suspend betting on the wooden spoon the day before the NRL stripped the club of all premiership points.

Spokesman for the TAB Glenn Munsie confirmed the agency paid out $70,000 on the Storm, but refused to comment when asked if the betting activity should have been passed on to police.

"It's not our job to investigate these things", Munsie said.

"We suspended betting when it was obvious something was happening and we handed over the bet details, which we are required to do".

The TAB and bookmakers in three states paid out a combined $200,000 on the Storm, but the complaints were few because they were saved from bigger payouts on Cronulla or the Cowboys if they had come last.

Record fines await star duo

According to reports, Aston Villa are expected to hand out the biggest fines in the history of football to two of their star players.

Defenders Richard Dunne and James Collins were at the centre of an alcoholic rage during a team-building trip to a spa hotel last week, in which the pair got drunk and set about insulting their team-mates and club coaching staff.

Both players have since apologised, but the Daily Mirror claims that Villa chiefs are so furious about the debacle, and after the disciplinary action is complete they are likely to fine the players up to an eye-watering £300,000 ($481,000 AUD) each.

Such a fine would be the biggest ever given to a player, and enough to sting even the wallets of the £50,000-a-week stars.

If the club goes ahead with the staggering fine, they could face a challenge from the players' union however. PFA rules stipulate that players' fines are to be a maximum two weeks' wages, yet a Villa spokesperson confirmed that "the end result is likely to be a fine of four to six week's salary".

It is also reported that the two players stayed behind in the hotel while their team-mates went paint-balling, with neither able to take part as they are recovering from injuries. Both were reportedly drunk by the end of the team's dinner that night, after which all the 'fun' began.

Miami players reduced to tears following loss

The Miami Heat took Monday's loss to the Chicago Bulls harder than most, with Heat coach Erik Spoelstra explaining that several players were reduced to tears following the team's performance.

In losing 87-86, it marked the Heat's third close loss to Chicago this season, topping off a frustrating week that started last Monday (AEST) with the squad's tough defeat at the hands of the New York Knicks.

The Heat now have lost four in a row.

After Dwyane Wade's last-second desperation jumper rimmed out, a catatonic Heat team sulked to the locker room. The Heat's season-long clutch struggles were made even more obvious by Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau who said after the game that Chicago has "guys who can close".

What's more important is this astonishing lack of clutch play from Miami's troika of LeBron James, Wade and Chris Bosh. All three had exemplary clutch statistics in the seasons leading up to 2010-11, but in shots taken with less than 10 seconds to go in the fourth quarter or overtime, with Miami trailing by three or fewer points, the Heat have gone 1 for 18 this season.

A falloff like that is remarkable and just about unprecedented in recent NBA history.

With the win, the Bulls have moved percentage points ahead of Miami in the Eastern Conference standings while sweeping the teams' season series three to nil.

NRL betting scandal deepens

The NRL betting scandal that has embroiled Bulldogs player Ryan Tandy and two others has deepened, with police searching for four more people.

The NSW Crime Command's Casino and Racing Investigation Unit are appealing for public assistance to identify four people shown in CCTV footage as part of ongoing investigations.

Strike Force Suburb from the unit was established to investigate alleged illegal betting activity surrounding the NRL match between the Canterbury Bulldogs and the North Queensland Cowboys in August lst year.

On Friday, police launched a public appeal to help identify four people depicted in CCTV footage who attended Sydney betting facilities in Beaconsfield, Ashfield and in the Queensland city of Townsville.

Police are not suggesting the people in the footage have engaged in unlawful activity but believe they may be able to assist detectives.

The investigation in question focuses on an incident relating to the Bulldogs-Cowboys match, which 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 were awarded a penalty, but did not opt for a kick at goal and instead scored a try from a quick tap.