Sports integrity: Italy targets match-fixing with new betting controls under "Decreto Sport"
The Italian Government has approved a new and decisive set of measures to tackle match-fixing, the manipulation of sporting events for betting purposes. This long-standing threat undermines the integrity of sports and the credibility of the legal betting market in Italy.
The new regulations are part of the broader “Decreto Sport” (Sports Decree), marking a significant shift in the country’s fight against illegal betting and the criminal networks infiltrating the sports world. The decree strengthens sanctions, enhances prevention tools, and grants new investigative powers to both sports authorities and judicial bodies.
According to Italy’s Minister for Sport and Youth, Andrea Abodi, these new rules represent “another crucial step towards ensuring transparency, legality, and fairness in sports while also fighting organised crime within the betting sector.” The minister emphasised that the government is determined to protect not only athletes and competitions but also the legitimate operators of the regulated gaming industry, a sector that generates significant tax revenue and employment in the country.
What is match-fixing, and why does it threaten sports and legal betting?
Match-fixing refers to the deliberate manipulation of a sporting event with the aim of securing financial gain through betting. It often involves illegal agreements between players, referees, coaches, or other insiders who alter the outcome of a match, or specific moments within it, in exchange for money or other benefits. Criminal organisations exploit this type of manipulation to secure guaranteed betting wins, damaging the credibility of sports competitions and defrauding both fans and legitimate betting operators.
Match-fixing is particularly dangerous because it operates covertly, eroding trust in the sporting world and casting a shadow over the entire legal betting ecosystem, with significant economic and reputational consequences.
Key measures introduced by the Italian Government
The decree imposes a mandatory requirement for administrative authorities to report any suspicious betting patterns directly to the Sports Prosecutor’s Office at CONI, Italy’s National Olympic Committee. This aims to create a real-time, efficient monitoring system for betting markets, allowing early detection of suspicious activities that could indicate match-fixing attempts.
Another key measure grants the Sports Prosecutor’s Office access to detailed information about suspicious betting accounts, even if these are indirectly linked to registered athletes or sports officials. Italy’s Customs and Monopolies Agency (ADM) is now required to share comprehensive data, including account holder identities and unique account codes, along with documented reasons connecting the account to the sports sector.
Once the information is gathered, it is passed on to the relevant sports federations, which can initiate disciplinary or legal proceedings where necessary. This process strengthens cooperation between sports justice and the ordinary judiciary, creating a more robust system to tackle betting fraud.
A strong message to protect sports and the regulated betting industry
The legislative intervention aligns Italy with broader European and international efforts to safeguard the integrity of sports and ensure proper regulation of the betting sector. In a rapidly growing global market, where online betting represents a significant and expanding share, preventing match-fixing is vital to maintaining credibility within the sporting world and providing a safe, transparent environment for legitimate betting operators.
The decree has been broadly welcomed within the sector and complements the Italian Government‘s wider reforms aimed at redefining the legal gaming framework, with a clear focus on security, consumer protection, and preventing criminal infiltration.
The iGaming industry, particularly sports betting operators, will play an active role in implementing these new measures. Transparency in financial flows and the traceability of betting accounts will be essential to distinguishing legal, responsible operators from those operating on the fringes or outside the law.
The fight against match-fixing is not only about safeguarding sporting ethics but also about protecting the credibility and sustainable growth of the legal betting sector. The effective implementation of these new provisions will be crucial in assessing their real-world impact, contributing to the prevention and suppression of illicit activities that harm sports, consumers, and the regulated gaming industry as a whole.
This article was first published in Italian on 24 June 2025.
