Netherlands to launch new fast-track reporting system to combat match-fixing

In the Netherlands and a prominent government minister has reportedly announced that his nation intends to premiere a fast-track reporting system so as to help combat suspected instances of match-fixing.

According to a report from iGamingBusiness.com, Sander Dekker serves as the Minister for Legal Protection and he explained that the move should help to allay fears that the country’s new Money Laundering Act will have the unintended consequence of making it harder for sporting bodies to crack down on match-fixing. This legislation is purportedly set to come into force later in the year and obliges all instances of suspected money laundering to be reported to the nation’s Financial Intelligence Unit without being shared further with non-governmental bodies.

Unintentional upshot:

However, the source reported that money laundering is often connected to match-fixing with critics of the Money Laundering Act having pointed to the real prospect that the measure’s confidentiality clause will make it more difficult for sporting organizations and their governing bodies to detect and stamp out alleged cases of fraud. Parliamentarians Michiel Van Nispen, Mirjam Bikker, Paul Van Der Laan, Anne Kuik, Rudmer Heerema, Kees Van Der Staaij and Sidney Smeets have purportedly been some of this legislation’s staunchest detractors although the latter figure has since resigned following several accusations of sexually inappropriate behavior.

Rapid response:

In unveiling the government’s new plan and Dekker reportedly pronounced that his office intends to design a system that will compel the Financial Intelligence Unit to share information on suspicious activities with relevant sporting bodies as soon as possible. He moreover purportedly asserted that the coming legislation’s confidentiality clause will likely only be enacted under certain specific situations to leave sporting organizations and their governing bodies free to access data on suspicious odds movements and instances of match-fixing for non-betting purposes.

Under the new system, Dekker reportedly disclosed that the Financial Intelligence Unit is to be required to flag any instances of suspected match-fixing before passing on relevant details to the applicable body. He also purportedly divulged that his office intends to conduct a strategic review into match-fixing to further establish just how these coming protocols will work.

Foreign faltering:

This latter concession reportedly came after Dekker had held a meeting with representatives from several of the Netherlands’ most prominent sporting organizations. Nevertheless, he purportedly stated that many instances of match-fixing may still go undetected as the criminal elements behind such activities are often headquartered abroad in regions such as Asia.

Deregulation dream:

Online sportsbetting is reportedly set to go live in the Netherlands from the first day of October following the 2019 passage of the nation’s Remote Gambling Act. This piece of legislation has purportedly brought in a range of licensing, taxation and consumer protection procedures with the country’s Kansspelautoriteit regulator having recently revealed that it is currently processing 28 inaugural operator licenses.