25 August 2026

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport - Written evidence (CMS0005)

Dear Lord Johnston,

Evidence session: Convention on the Manipulation of Sports Competitions

Thank you for the opportunity to give evidence to the House of Lords International Agreements Committee on Tuesday 21 July regarding the Convention on the Manipulation of Sports Competitions (the Macolin Convention). 

During the session, Lord Anderson of Swansea asked how many successful prosecutions there had been in relation to match-fixing offences. I undertook to clarify these details for the Committee and I would like to confirm the following:

The Gambling Commission has advised that, in relation to betting integrity cases under Section 42 of the Gambling Act 2005 (cheating at gambling), it has referred 19 cases for enforcement action over the last three years. To date, none of these cases has resulted in successful criminal prosecution by the Gambling Commission. However, several investigations remain ongoing, including formal prosecutions being brought as part of Operation Scott.

In addition to the criminal enforcement, the Gambling Commission’s Sports Betting Intelligence Unit has supported sports governing bodies in taking disciplinary action – including fines and professional bans – against several sports participants during this period. While effective in safeguarding integrity, these sanctions fall outside the criminal prosecution framework.

For completeness, the Gambling Commission confirms that one successful prosecution for the offence of cheating at gambling under Section 42 of the Gambling Act 2005 was concluded in 2015.

Northern Ireland

Following the evidence session, we have clarified the position with colleagues in the Northern Ireland Department for Communities and the Gambling Commission. 

The Department for Communities has confirmed that it is content that there are no substantive Northern Ireland-specific issues which would prevent ratification as far as gambling is concerned. In particular, they have noted that Article 169 of the Betting, Gaming, Lotteries and Amusements (Northern Ireland) Order 1985 makes it an offence to cheat at gambling, or to enable or assist another person to cheat at gambling, and the Department for Communities considers this provision capable of supporting prosecution of sports manipulation, insofar as it relates to betting markets.

We would also like to clarify that the wider comments made during the evidence session regarding the need for reform of gambling legislation in Northern Ireland should not be taken to indicate that the existing cheating offence requires reform in order to enable ratification. The ongoing wider programme of gambling reform in Northern Ireland is a separate matter.

More broadly, our cross-government legal assessment has concluded that the existing UK legal framework provides sufficient offences to prosecute sports manipulation, including where conduct involves fraud, bribery, corruption or other relevant criminality.

Correction to the evidence session transcript

We would also like to clarify a point in the transcript of the evidence session. In response to a question from Lord Hannay of Chiswick, on the number of countries which had not yet formally ratified the Convention, the answer stated that 26 countries, including the United Kingdom, had ‘yet to formally sign’. 

This should instead have stated that 26 countries, including the United Kingdom, have signed the convention, but have yet to formally ratify.

I trust this satisfactorily answers Lord Anderson’s question and provides the Committee with the additional clarification requested following the evidence session.

Yours sincerely,

Emma Floyd

Director of Sport and Gambling

25 August 2026