Breaking down the new Sri Lankan bill against match-fixing
A rough guideline to the punishments, and a list of many of the new offences, that will become part of law soon
Andrew Fidel Fernando
12-Nov-2019
Sri Lankan fans turned up at Sophia Gardens • Getty Images
Sri Lanka's parliament criminalised a wide swathe of corruption-related activity in sports on Monday. This was in the wake of the ICC anti-corruption unit's investigation into the country's cricket over the past two years. Below is a rough guideline to the punishments, and a list of many of the new offences that will be become part of the law once this bill has been signed by the speaker of the house (a process that should be no more than a formality).
Maximum punishment: 10 years imprisonment and 100 million rupees (approx USD 555,000)
What the law says:
Any person who gets involved in an arrangement to make an "irregular alteration of the course or result of any sport" for money or any other reward or benefit has committed an offence.
What the law covers:
- Match-fixing and spot-fixing.
- Soliciting match-fixing or spot fixing.
- Does or fails to do something that alters the course of the game for the benefit of illegal betting.
- Provides inside information on the game in anything other than "bona fide media interviews and commitments".
- Provides or receives gifts, payments, benefits or rewards that might bring the sport into disrepute.
- Players betting on games in which they are involved.
- Match officials misapplying rules for money or another benefit.
- Curators who either prepare a playing surface, or provide information, for money or another benefit
- Introducing potential corruptors to current players
- Betting or encouraging someone to bet on a game in which a person has inside information.
Maximum punishment: Three years imprisonment and 200,000 rupees (approx USD 1100)
What the law says:
Any person who wilfully obstructs, hinders or fails to comply with a government investigation into corruption commits an offence.
What the law covers:
- Fails to appear, without reasonable cause, before investigators.
- Refuses or fails to answer any questions posed by investigators.
- Refuses or fails to comply with a notice issued by investigators.
- Knowingly providing a false or misleading statement.
- Concealing, falsifying, destroying or permits the concealment, falsification or destruction of evidence relevant to an investigation.
- Fails to report a corrupt approach.
- Fails to report a suspected fix, or a corrupt approach to another person.
- If a betting operator fails to report unusual betting patterns.
Maximum punishment: Ten years imprisonment and 500,000 rupees (approx $2800)
Any service provider or person who fails to maintain confidentiality after being asked to provide information or data related to an investigation.
Andrew Fidel Fernando is ESPNcricinfo's Sri Lanka correspondent. @afidelf