TOUGHER prison sentences and a new anti-corruption unit are needed to prevent gambling on sport leading to match-fixing, a review recommended last night.
Rick Parry, the former Liverpool FC chief executive who chaired the review, warned one major match-fixing scandal could devastate British sport.
The proposed unit, called the Sports Betting Intelligence Unit, would be housed within the Gambling Commission.
The review was commissioned by sports minister Gerry Sutcliffe following increasing concerns about betting on sport leading to cheating.
Parry said: “There is no great evidence at the moment that corruption is endemic, but just one problem can have a huge impact on a sport, so there is no room for complacency.
“We have to take the toughest possible approach if we want to stamp out cheating.”
Parry believes the current two-year maximum prison term for cheating on sports gambling is too lenient.
He added: “This is potentially a very serious offence and more severe sanctions would put it higher on the police’s radar.”
Parry said the cost of the new unit would be small, and also that it was unrealistic for the UK to move to the system in the USA where almost all betting on sport is banned.
“The unit is not a very expensive solution, very much a proportionate one, and anyway how do you put a price on integrity?” said Parry.
“There is enough money around one way or another to find the relatively modest resources.
“The laws in the UK are relatively liberal compared to the USA, where in theory you cannot bet at all on sport. Maybe it is more sensible to have laws that deal with reality, and put in place procedures that mean we are alive to the risk of cheating.
“It will be a huge disappointment if this report now gathers dust – it needs to carried through, let’s make something happen.”
Mr Sutcliffe commissioned the review after several cases last year – the Gambling Commission were referred 48 suspicious betting cases in the 18 months to March 31.
There was also a high-profile case of Accrington Stanley footballers being in breach of FA rules by betting on their side to lose.
Other proposals in the report included a new code of conduct on sports betting integrity for all sports governing bodies.
Mr Sutcliffe said he would now consider the recommendations before announcing the next steps.
He said: “I am very keen to keep up the momentum on this important work. There is no place in sport for cheating of any kind and we must make sure we’re doing all we can.
“But this issue cannot be tackled by Government alone. The report puts a range of recommendations to sports governing bodies, bookmakers, the police and importantly the Gambling Commission. I hope all of these bodies will take this report seriously and consider in detail what practical steps they are now going to take.
“We must all work together towards one goal – an effective, intelligence-led system that means cheats have nowhere to hide.”
