How rules and regulations facilitate match-fixing in sports

Research has shown that under certain circumstances, society renders itself vulnerable to criminal and other irregular activities by enacting legislation which may, albeit inadvertently, create opportunities for individuals to engage in such activities. With the aim of preventing and combating match-fixing and due to the significant threat it poses to the sports’ integrity and to public order, governments and sports organizations have sought to strengthen their legal and regulatory framework. With the aforementioned in mind, this research will provide an answer to the question of the extent to which those legal and regulatory initiatives may add to sports’ vulnerability by inadvertently facilitating match-fixing. The research will be conducted on the basis of relevant case law, legal texts and scientific literature. Various vulnerabilities are conceivable, such as loopholes in criminal legislation which may hinder criminal prosecution in certain cases of match-fixing, or an imperfect tournament design which facilitates tactical manipulations or sports betting rules and regulations which (in)adequately deal with betting-related match-fixing. By identifying and acknowledging the risks for match-fixing in laws and regulations, governments and sports organizations can work to eliminate those vulnerabilities and thus possibly prevent future occurrences of the phenomenon