Deputy Brian Cristian has introduced a new legislative proposal in the Romanian Parliament seeking harsher penalties for match-fixing and fraudulent manipulation of sports competitions, with sentences reaching up to eight years in prison.
The first “anti-match-fixing law” aimed to introduce a distinct offense for manipulation of sports competitions into the Penal Code but was rejected by the Senate. “Senators from the Legal Committee have fouled Romanian sports. The ‘anti-fixing’ law received a rejection report. Betting mafia won this round, but the match continues: I will not give up,” Cristian stated last week on his Facebook account.
The proposed law broadens criminal liability to include not just club leaders and sports organizations but also athletes, coaches, referees, agents, medical staff, and others involved in organizing or conducting competitions, as reported by jurnalul.ro.
The Proposal Seeks to Establish a Distinct Offense for Fraudulently Influencing Competition Outcomes
Submitted to the Senate on Wednesday, the bill has the support of 38 lawmakers, predominantly from the USR party, alongside some from PNL and PSD. It aims to amend Law No. 69/2000 on physical education and sports to include a distinct offense with specific rules for the fraudulent influence of competition results, carrying penalties of two to eight years in prison and potential bans on certain rights or fines.
Cristian argues that current Romanian legislation does not clearly define the offense, often categorizing such actions under corruption or fraud, which complicates legal proceedings for investigators when trying to categorize these acts.
Without an explicit incrimination, judicial authorities face difficulties in: a) delineating the material element of the offense; b) collecting specific evidence (betting, influence on outcomes); c) coherently sanctioning all participants in the criminal mechanism, the author of the law explains.
“Match-fixing is considered one of the major threats contemporary sports face at both European and global levels because it undermines the core values of sports: integrity, fairness, and respect for others, and risks alienating fans from organized sports. More alarmingly, it represents a widespread criminal phenomenon often involving organized crime networks and generates enormous profits: illegal betting is estimated to account for one-third of the global sports betting market (amounting to between 300 and 600 billion euros),” the explanatory memorandum states.
Illegal Betting Estimated to Account for One-Third of the Global Sports Betting Market
The document also references Romania’s commitments under the Council of Europe Convention on the Manipulation of Sports Competitions.
The initial legislative initiative mentioned by the deputy, which was rejected, was submitted to Parliament in June 2026 and sought to establish a distinct offense of “manipulating sports competitions” in the Penal Code, a measure justified by the need to align with the Convention on the Manipulation of Sports Competitions (the “Macolin Convention”), which Romania signed in 2024.
Previously, Deputy Brian Cristian argued that existing legislation does not allow for the effective sanctioning of match-fixing acts, proposing criminal penalties for manipulation to protect the integrity of sports and supporters, according to declarațiipolitice.ro.
In a post on October 24, he publicly expressed the opposition he encountered from senators in the Judicial Committee and announced he would continue his legislative efforts.
Reports about the project also include viewpoints from sports federations supporting the need for additional tools to combat networks profiting from betting through match-fixing.
