President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday introduced a bill in the State Duma aimed at fighting the manipulation of sports matches.
The bill would prohibit the placing of bets and receiving of prizes without providing a form of identification, and this measure would be extended to all forms of gambling done at bookmakers, Interfax reported.
An explanatory note to the bill says it "will not only identify the recipients of prizes, but also impose the function of a tax agent on the organizers of gambling for the calculation and payment of taxes on the winning funds from individuals." Corresponding changes would also be made to the Tax Code.
The bill also stipulates that sports federations will be obligated to remove individuals suspected or accused of unlawfully influencing the results of sporting events from competitions. Anybody who has been convicted of manipulating sporting events faces disqualification.
Athletes, coaches, referees, team leaders and other members of official sporting events would also be prohibited from gambling and placing bets with bookmakers for games that they are involved in.
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