Federal deputy Marcelo de Jesús Torres Cofiño has presented a comprehensive package of reforms to criminalize match fixing in Mexico.
The proposal, which amends the Federal Law on Games and Raffles, the General Law on Physical Culture and Sports, and the Federal Penal Code, seeks to protect the credibility of football and professional sports in Mexico.
The legislator explained that the initiative responds to a growing concern, namely the infiltration of financial interests into sports, particularly through betting, which puts the confidence of fans and the integrity of competitions at risk.
“Football cannot become a financial instrument without clear rules. When the person managing a club also has interests in betting, it undermines the fans’ trust and the ethical values of the sport. Mexico must act before the scandals multiply,” Torres Cofiño stated.
Among the key points of the reform is the explicit prohibition of conflicts of interest. People who run or benefit from betting sites cannot own, invest in, or run a professional sports club, and sports clubs cannot own, invest in, or run a betting site. Violation of this provision would result in the cancellation of permits, heavy fines, disqualification from holding such positions, and mandatory notification to financial authorities.
The package also includes the creation of a mandatory Sports Integrity Code for leagues, associations and clubs, which will include the prohibition of in-house betting, the public declaration of financial interests of managers, integrity clauses in contracts and anonymous reporting mechanisms.
The proposed addition to the Federal Penal Code would create a chapter, “Crimes Against the Integrity of Professional Sports,” and set penalties of up to 10 years’ imprisonment for acts such as result manipulation for betting, misuse of privileged information, or aiding in concealing proceeds of illegal gambling.
Penalties would be increased if the offense is perpetrated by club owners or directors or involves national or international tournaments.
The initiative is based on warnings from international organizations such as the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), which has indicated that the manipulation of sporting competitions and money laundering linked to betting constitute growing threats to the integrity of sport worldwide.
The legislative package also includes the creation of a National Sports Integrity Monitoring System, coordinated by the National Commission for Physical Culture and Sports (Conade), along with the National Banking and Securities Commission and the Financial Intelligence Unit, to detect suspicious transactions and strengthen supervision.
The post Deputy puts forward bill to criminalise match fixing in Mexico appeared first on G3 Newswire.
Federal deputy Marcelo de Jesús Torres Cofiño has presented a comprehensive package of reforms to criminalize match fixing in Mexico. The proposal, which amends the Federal Law on Games and Raffles, the General Law on Physical Culture and Sports, and the Federal Penal Code, seeks to protect the credibility of football and professional sports in…
The post Deputy puts forward bill to criminalise match fixing in Mexico appeared first on G3 Newswire.