LONDON (AFP) - Italy's world number 139 Federico Luzzi on Friday became the latest player to be banned for betting on matches after being found guilty of gambling on 836 matches, the ATP announced.

The 28-year-old, who plays mostly on the Challenger circuit, was suspended for 200 days and fined 50,000 dollars, a huge amount for a journeyman competitor who has earned just over 500,000 dollars during his nine mediocre years on tour.

"An ATP investigation, launched in August 2007, found that Luzzi had wagered 273 times on 836 tennis matches between May 2004 and April 2007," said an ATP statement.

"Of these 273 bets, one was a three euro bet, placed on himself to win. ATP found no evidence of any attempt by Luzzi to affect the outcome of any tennis match. This was a conclusion shared by the independent Anti Corruption Hearing Officer, Dr Peter Bratschi."

Luzzi is the fifth Italian player to be hit with a betting suspension.

In December, Potito Starace was suspended for six weeks and fined 30,000 dollars while Daniele Bracciali was banned for three months and fined 20,000 dollars.

Alessio Di Mauro was banned for nine months in November for betting on matches while, in February this year, Giorgio Galimberti, the world 1010, was banned for 100 days.

Betting is not just a problem on the men's tour.

On Thursday, a spectator suspected of involvement in illegal betting was threatened with ejection during world number one Justine Henin's shock defeat at the Dubai Open.

Henin's straight sets loss to Italy's Francesca Schiavone was her first in 18 matches and five years at Dubai, and during it a man in the stands was watched at length talking on a mobile phone.

He was then spoken to by a WTA Tour official as he sat in his seat, before the two left to continue the discussion elsewhere. It was said to be the second such incident in the centre court stadium in two days.