Quentin Folliot becomes the sixth tennis player sanctioned in a widening match‑fixing investigation.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced on December 11 that Quentin Folliot has been fined $70,000 and ordered to repay more than $44,000 in illicit payments linked to match-fixing activity.
The French tennis player has also been banned from the sport for 20 years after being found guilty of 27 breaches of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program (TACP).
The sanction follows an investigation which concluded the 24-year-old acted as a “central figure” in a network of players working on behalf of a wider criminal syndicate. Folliot becomes the sixth player sanctioned in connection with the case, joining Jaimee Floyd-Angele, Paul Valsecchi, Luc Fomba, Lucas Bouquet and Enzo Rimoli.
What’s Folliot charged with?
Folliot denied 30 charges connected to 11 matches played between 2022 and 2024, eight of which he featured in.
The charges cover a broad spectrum of corrupt activity, including manipulating match outcomes, taking payments to underperform for betting purposes, attempting to recruit other players into fixing schemes, providing privileged information to third parties, colluding with others to corrupt outcomes, failing to cooperate with investigators and destroying evidence.
An independent hearing, held on October 20-21 before Anti-Corruption Hearing Officer Amani Khalifa, upheld 27 of the allegations.
Three charges linked to a January 2024 doubles match were dismissed, but the decision, published on December 1, concluded Folliot played a key role in aiding a criminal organisation seeking to influence the lower tiers of the professional game.
Folliot has been suspended since May 17 2024; this time will count towards his total period of ineligibility, meaning the ban is scheduled to run until May 16 2044, provided fines and repayment obligations are met.
During his suspension, he is not allowed to compete in, coach at, or attend any tennis event sanctioned by the ATP, WTA, ITF or national associations.
Tennis’ relationship with betting
Folliot’s case comes amid a period of heightened scrutiny of betting-related misconduct in elite sport. Over recent months, the NBA, UFC, Major League Baseball and top-flight Turkish football have all announced investigations into integrity breaches linked to gambling activity.
Tennis has become increasingly entwined with betting operators as tournaments look for new revenue sources and digital activation opportunities. Betting companies have become prominent sponsors across ATP, WTA and ITF events, with strong crossover between tennis audiences and sportsbook marketing.
In November, the ATP Challenger Tour named 1xBet as its new official betting partner, a deal which showed how betting brands see value in even the lower-tier competitions where sponsorship rights are typically cheaper.
With commercial partnerships expanding into events featuring teenage and early-career players, integrity officials stress the importance of early education.
Speaking to Insider Sport in July 2024, ITIA Director of Intelligence Nick Iffe said the agency has prioritised face-to-face outreach, visiting tournaments, officiating schools and player development programmes to ensure young athletes understand the risks and obligations around betting and corruption.
“In the last few years, we have prioritised delivering education sessions – group and individual, face-to-face and online – to players at the beginning of their journey in the sport. We also talk to coaches, medical staff and agents to ensure that they all know we are there to support them,” said Iffe.
“We also work with the ITF, ATP and WTA on their development programmes so that players making their way through the levels of the sport are given support to help them make the best decisions.”
