Ratification of Council of Europe convention on the manipulation of sports competitions : eradication of match-fixing or a threat to the Maltese online gambling industry

Abstract

Corrupt sports betting supported by the increasing number of the match-fixing cases pushed the legislators, particularly Council of Europe, to adopt measures in order to combat the threat of transnational dimension. As the result, the Council of Europe’s Convention on the Manipulation of Sports Competitions was introduced to target all the aspects related to the area of match-fixing and illegal betting involved and, despite being a European led instrument, it encourages all the global community to become a part alongside the CoE and EU Member States. With all the positive intentions in mind, the Ratification and subsequent Implementation of the Convention faces certain difficulties due to the controversial issues arising from the wording of the Document: potential effects of the Convention’s entry into force may negatively influence betting industry in some States, or even force the state’s market participants to switch to another jurisdictions where the market share will be bigger after the implementation of proposed legislation. Hence, baring in mind the urgent need to fight the phenomenon of match-fixing on one hand and to safeguard online gambling industries (with particular reference to the Maltese market) on the other, a number of amendments to the Convention are proposed together with the possible outcomes.