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Australian police investigating the NRL gambling scandal are flying to Auckland to interview a woman who tried to place an unusual bet.
Last week, Sydney detectives released CCTV images in a bid to find the pram-pushing woman, who may be able to assist the inquiry into illegal betting linked to a match between the Bulldogs and the Cowboys last year.
The woman was filmed at the Browns Bay TAB on August 20 trying to place a large bet in the "thousands" on North Queensland to open the scoring with a penalty.
Since the CCTV shots were released, New Zealand police have spoken to the woman, and New South Wales officers will fly to Auckland this week to interview her in person.
Detective Superintendent Ken Finch told Sydney's Daily Telegraph it was not known if or how the woman was linked to people in NSW and Queensland who had been investigated as part of the alleged scam.
"It is possible she may have placed the bet on behalf of someone else."
Mr Finch said that although New Zealand police had spoken to her, NSW officers would have to speak to her before they could confirm her identity.
"Depending on evidence that we obtain from her, it may well result in more charges in NSW," he said.
Any fresh charges would not necessarily be laid against those already facing the courts over the alleged betting scandal.
The move comes as the lawyer for NRL player-manager Sam Ayoub yesterday told Downing Centre Local Court in Sydney he would plead not guilty to a fraud charge related to the betting plunge on the Round 24 game.
Ayoub, 49, and rugby league identity John Elias, 48, are due to appear in court on Thursday.
A third person, sacked Bulldogs player Ryan Tandy, faces four charges of providing false or misleading evidence to the NSW Crime Commission.
In the Bulldogs v Cowboys match, a penalty was awarded early but the Cowboys opted to go for a try instead of kicking for goal. This effectively thwarted the scamsters.
The Herald first revealed the NZ link to the NRL inquiry in February. TAB senior bookmaker Mark Stafford said flags went up when the woman tried to place her bet at Browns Bay.
He said bets on the first scoring play in league were normally for a try and were seldom for more than $100.
"Anything over that you think, 'That's a bit weird'," Mr Stafford said.
The attempted bet, which would have cost the TAB tens of thousands if it had been paid out, came up as an "alarm" at head office as part of the agency's intercept system, which can be triggered by bets as small as $100.
"We get heaps of intercepts every day that amount to nothing, but this particular one, because it was such a weird option that we hold very little money on, stood out," Mr Stafford said.
The TAB restricted the woman's bet to about $50, then suspended the first-scoring option on that match.
Staff made urgent calls to betting agencies in Australia and, on learning they had been hit with similar bets, cancelled the option.
