Researcher calls for global anti-corruption unit for athletes

A U.S. academic said he hopes the U.S. decision to legalize sports betting will bolster his efforts to create an international anti-corruption unit to monitor athletes, along the lines of the body to prevent doping.

Charles Livingstone, the head of the gambling and social determinants unit at Melbourne’s Monash University, told The Associated Press he’s been proposing for several years the formation of the monitoring agency for potential corruption among athletes.

“Now that the United States is going to allow gambling on sporting events, I’m hoping it might become a real possibility,” Livingstone said.

Livingstone also called for a ban on “spot betting,” where players can bet on elements such as how the first points in a game might be scored.

It has spurred a whole range of new betting options, including some on minute detail.

“Ban spot-betting,” he told AP. “There is enormous potential for corruption. It’s a small step from there to starting to throw games.”

The U.S. Supreme Court earlier this month struck down a long-standing federal ban preventing betting on sports. Many states are now expected to legalize the practice, opening a multi-billion dollar market.

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