(Yonhap News)
The government will speed up the revision of a law that imposes severe penalties for illegal gambling and corruption in sports, the Culture Ministry said on Wednesday.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced last month that it would revise the sports promotion law to root-out illegal gambling and match-fixing.
“We have established standards for potential penalties on players, teams and also proleagues involved in match-fixing. The penalties will be introduced starting at the end of March,” said Roh Tae-kang, the sports bureau director at the ministry.
The announcement came on the heels of prosecutors’ investigation into massive match-fixing scams involving more than 30 athletes.
Finishing up its month-long inspection, Daegu District Prosecutors’ Office announced Wednesday that a total of 31 people were involved.
Among those indicted were 16 former and active volleyball players and two active pitchers in the country’s top baseball league.
The players attempted to fix matches in exchange for cash from gambling brokers, receiving up to 5 million won ($4,500) per game, according to the prosecutors.
Under a recently revised law on sports promotion, players who are involved in match-fixing may be jailed for up to five years or fined a maximum of 50 million won ($45,000), while those who set up illegal betting websites may be sentenced to up to seven years in prison or fined a maximum of 70 million won ($63,000).
Players convicted of match-fixing attempts will also be banned for life, and the teams involved may be ousted from their leagues.
The ministry said on Wednesday that it would enhance its “supervisor” strategy, which allows authorities to monitor all professional games on a regular basis.
“Baseball has already adopted the scheme and it will be introduced to all other professional sports by May,” said Roh.
The government-appointed supervisors, with the help of the National Police Agency, will monitor players to ensure no contact is made with gambling brokers, according to the official.
Plans also include raising rewards for whistle-blowers on illegal gambling to up to 100 million won. The government will establish a call center in April to collect information related to match-fixing.
“Pro teams will need to report to us every month. We’re taking serious actions as we believe this is our last chance to root out corruption in sports in this country,” Roh added.
By Oh Kyu-wook (596story@heraldm.com.)
koreaherald@heraldcorp.com
