Combatting match-fixing under the remote gambling regime

From the start of the remote gambling licensing process (the current official prognosis is that this will be on 1 March 2021), interested parties will be able to apply for a remote gambling licence. On the basis of this licence remote sports betting can be offered under strict conditions. In addition to for instance addiction prevention and advertising rules, such operators must comply with a plethora of anti-match-fixing requirements. These are laid down in the secondary legislation to the Remote Gambling Act (Wet kansspelen op afstand).

The reasons for having anti-match-fixing rules are, for example, that match-fixing tarnishes the reputation of athletes, undermines the reputation and commercial viability of sports and the gambling industry and negatively impacts the integrity of sports. Therefore, the Dutch legislator imposes a wide array of anti-match-fixing requirements on licence holders. They must refrain from organising bets on matches or competitions or events within matches when (there is an indication that) match-fixing occurs. Licence holders must conduct a risk analysis before (subject to some exceptions), during and after every match and monitor the sports betting offering for unusual and suspicious patterns of gambling that could point to the manipulation of matches. In addition, they must report information to the Netherlands Gambling Authority (“NGA”) about suspicious gambling patterns and offer relevant training and education to their employees to recognize match-fixing.

Perhaps the most far-reaching requirement to combat match-fixing which will be introduced under the future remote gambling regime relates to the introduction of a blacklist of matches and events within matches on which no bets may be organised.

• Matches on which no bets may be organized for instance include friendly football matches, under 21 years of age football matches, football matches of the third division and lower divisions and duo sulky races in horse and harness racing (i.e. harness races in which two persons sit in a lightweight car with two wheels which is pulled by a horse).
• Events within matches on which no bets may be organized concern, for example, which player will take the penalty kick after a yellow or red card in a football match and the number of double faults in a tennis match.

In conclusion, as the phenomenon of match-fixing has gained widespread international attention in recent years, the approach of the Dutch legislator to impose extensive rules to combat match-fixing under the future remote gambling regime did not come as a surprise. We recommend those parties wishing to obtain a remote gambling licence to take proper notice of these rules.

Should you whish to learn more about the match-fixing rules under the remote gambling regime, please feel free to contact us at gaming@kalffkatzfranssen.nl. We are also available for any other question about the gambling market in the Netherlands. Further information can be found on our website, at: https://www.kalffkatzfranssen.nl/en/sectors/gaming/dutch-licence-for-online-gambling/.