The Victorian Government announced 5 March 2013 its intention to introduce match fixing legislation with a maximum penalty of 10 years gaol. This will complement Victoria’s progressive sports betting legislative scheme and provide law enforcement officials with the powers necessary to protect sport played in Victoria.

The proposed legislation will apparently aim to outlaw offences including engaging in conduct that corrupts or would corrupt a betting outcome as well as facilitating such conduct. The new laws will also make it an offence to conceal any corrupt conduct, agreements or arrangements or to use corrupt information for betting purposes. This legislation will be aligned with laws recently introduced in South Australia and New South Wales.

The introduction of these new laws follows on from Victoria Police’s recent announcement of the establishment of a new Sporting Integrity Intelligence Unit.

Gaming Minister, Michael O’Brien commented that, “Victoria is the only state [in Australia] with comprehensive sports betting legislation and is a leader in this area of regulation”.

It’s now over five years since Victoria enacted its sports betting legislation. Surely it’s time for all the other Australian states and territories to follow suit.