Police and investigative cooperation on match-fixing: An Australian experience

During 2015, Australia hosted a number of major international sporting events. Two of those sports were identified as being at particular risk of match-fixing: the Asian Football Confederation men’s Asian Cup and the International Cricket Council men’s World Cup. The volume and breadth of betting interest in football and cricket world-wide made the two events attractive to match-fixers with links to organised crime engaged in illegal gambling and money laundering. The threat of a match-fixing incident and the prospect of consequential damage to Australia’s sporting and event hosting reputation were perceived as warranting a coordinated response by government, law enforcement, sporting and other regulatory authorities which was led by the Australian Federal Police (‘AFP’). This chapter analyses the AFP’s role and reflects on its publicly reported experiences in responding to the match-fixing threat to these two major international sporting events. The jurisdiction and role of the AFP in Australia’s federal system where the national government does not hold direct legislative responsibility for criminal law or gambling regulation is analysed. The chapter argues that coordination and cooperation between law enforcement, sporting codes and other authorities in regard to information sharing was a crucial element for the successful campaign of targeting and disrupting known match-fixers. The chapter concludes with suggestions for authorities in Australia and other jurisdictions tasked with protecting major sports events from the threat of match-fixing.