Page 2370 - Week 08 - Thursday, 6 June 2013
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activities. Additionally, a person who abuses inside information may not be amenable to the disciplinary powers of sports controlling bodies. Accordingly, it is important that an offence of betting on an event with information not generally available is enacted to respond to the real opportunity for the misuse of such information.
This offence will prohibit a person who possesses inside information about an event from betting on that event, or encouraging another person to bet on the event in a particular way, or communicating the inside information to another person who they know—or it is reasonable to know—is likely to bet on the event.
This offence addresses concerns about the use of inside information about an event to manipulate the betting market. However, not all information about an event will be sufficient to prove this offence.
The bill uses the term “inside information” to limit the offence to instances involving information that is not generally available where, if the information had been available, it would likely have affected betting decisions.
A person will not commit an offence if, for example, they place a bet based on a media report that a player will not be fielded due to an injury. However, if this information is not reported publicly and the information is not available to the public through other means, and a person with this information bets on an event, it is intended that this person would be captured by the inside information offence.
New South Wales, South Australia and Victoria have also recently enacted legislative amendments to address match-fixing activities.
The bill I introduce today aligns with those amendments, but has been drafted to comply with the territory’s Criminal Code and to expand on existing fraud and dishonesty provisions.
The government recognises that legislative amendments to address match-fixing behaviours may have an impact on local sporting bodies and organisations. To this end, my directorate and the Economic Development Directorate will hold an information session with the sport sector to outline the offences in the bill in the context of national and local efforts to improve integrity in sport.
This bill will ensure that those who fix sporting and other events will be subject to criminal sanctions. Furthermore, those who use information about a fix or inside information for a betting purpose will also be subject to the criminal law.
The offences in the bill will protect sport and racing organisers and their participants by deterring corruption. The amendments will also protect those who wish to participate in lawful gambling from the interference of match-fixing. I commend the bill to the Assembly.
Debate (on motion by Mr Wall) adjourned to the next sitting.
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