Dutch Minister Proposes Fast-Track Reporting System to Tackle Match-Fixing and Promote Social Responsibility

In response to concerns raised by MPs about the impact of confidentiality protocols included in legislation, Dekker has introduced a new fast-track reporting system aimed at enhancing social responsibility. The system is designed to promptly bring suspicious activity alerts to the attention of relevant sporting bodies. The MPs who raised questions include Anne Kuik, Kees van der Staaij, Rudmer Heerema, Mirjam Bikker, Michiel van Nispen, Paul Van der Laan, and Sidney Smeets (who has since resigned), following an article in the Dutch press. The article claimed that the upcoming Money Laundering Act, scheduled to come into effect this year, could impede efforts to combat match-fixing. Under the Act, any information related to suspected money laundering must be reported exclusively to the country’s Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) and not disclosed to any other party. Given that match-fixing can involve laundered money or be part of a money-laundering scheme, reports of match-fixing may fall within the scope of this requirement. However, Dekker clarified that this section of the Money Laundering Act would only apply in specific situations. Suspicious odds movements and match-fixing reports for non-betting purposes can still be shared with governing bodies. Nonetheless, Dekker acknowledged that the legislation may pose challenges for reporting betting activity by participants in sporting events. As a result, the Dutch government convened a meeting with sporting federations and agreed to establish the fast-track system to facilitate the swift communication of potentially suspicious activity to these entities. The FIU will identify and tag any reports of match-fixing, enabling them to be subsequently shared with the relevant sporting governing body. Notably, an upcoming strategic consultation on match-fixing will provide further details on the fast-track system. Dekker also highlighted that a significant portion of match-fixing related to betting may go undetected, especially in unregulated markets such as Asia. It is worth mentioning that online sports betting will be legalized in the Netherlands on October 1, following the enforcement of the country’s Remote Gambling Act on April 1 of this year, after several delays. As of mid-April, regulator de Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) reported that 28 operators had applied for licenses.