Taiwan mulls tougher punishments for illegal betting
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.(AFP)
Taiwan may introduce tougher punishments for illegal sports betting, with jail terms of up to 15 years, following a string of baseball game-rigging scandals, legislative officials said Tuesday.
A proposal in the legislature calls for a maximum 10-year imprisonment in addition to a fine of up to 10 million Taiwan dollars (320,000 US dollars) for gambling on professional games, according to lawmaker Sun Ta-chien's office.
The proposed law also permits imprisonment for up to 15 years, as well as fines ranging to 30 million Taiwan dollars, for using violence or blackmail to facilitate gambling, the office said in a statement.
All betting on domestic sports is banned in Taiwan. There is a government-organised sports lottery, but it is exclusively for games abroad, such as American baseball or European football.
Currently operators of gambling rings can be jailed for up five year, while the maximum fine is 1,000 Taiwan dollars.
"This has little effect in thwarting gambling," the statement said.
The move comes after a series of game-fixing scandals that have tarnished the image of the island's professional baseball.
Last year, Taiwan's baseball league banned the Media T-Rex team on match-fixing allegations implicating three players and others.
The scandal outraged fans, already jolted by earlier similar cases, and dealt another blow to the island's professional baseball league.
A scandal that erupted in 1996, the worst in the history of the sport here, led to the disbanding of the China Times Eagles.
aw/ph/jah
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments