Cricket: Sri Lanka is the first South Asian nation to criminalise match-fixing

Corruption in sports could hand down a 10 years jail sentence

Sri Lanka.- Cricket becomes more legitimate in Sri Lanka as a result of a new legislation that criminalises match fixing offences. Corruption in sports could hand down 10 years in jail and the prosecuted will have to pay several fines.

ESPN Cric Info reports Sri Lanka’s parliament has passed the bill labelled “Prevention of Offences Related to Sports” that is vital in cricket business. It is one of the biggest potential untapped markets for sports betting, with rampant match fixing still occurring. Without a quality product to bet on, the potential riches to be had are too illicit to touch.

Sri Lanka’s Sports Minister Harin Fernando presented the bill in the parliament and former skipper Arjuna Ranatunga who is now a cabinet minister, supported the new legislation during parliamentary debates. 

The bill was written to be very broad in scope. It is considered illegal not only the act of match fixing illegal, but also providing inside information, misapplying rules, players betting on games,  providing or receiving inappropriate bets, omitting important information, associating with players in an attempt to corrupt them, and failing to report a known instance of attempted match fixing are all named as criminal acts.

The expectation is that after this turning point in Sri Lanka, other countries in South Asia take similar decisions. It is necessary take a crucial approach in order to clean up the cricket and eradicate match fixing. A colossal task but not impossible if there is an aim to make the sport a legitimate betting business.