Sports bodies welcome harsh penalty

The proposed bill will see a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment for anyone found to have been involved in corrupting the outcome of an event. The proposed N.S.W. legislation follows an agreement between Australias state and federal governments last year to create uniform,nationwide penalties to combat illegal gambling and the leaking of inside sporting information for financial gain.

The two levels of government agreed to phase out the airing of live betting odds during broadcasts of professional sports either through self-regulation by individual sports,or by legislation.

The combination of cheating in sport legislation and integrity agreement legislation across states and territories will give sport the best legislative framework to combat the increasing threat of corruption, said Speed,a former International Cricket Council exec.