The Executive Yuan today approved amendments to the Sports Lottery Issuance Act (運動彩券發行條例) to increase penalties for illegal betting and match-fixing, with crimes undermining the fairness of sporting games that lead to the death of an athlete becoming punishable by life imprisonment.
Those who manipulate events linked to the Sports Lottery may now face up to 10 years in prison, while if the crime involves violence, coercion or other illegal actions toward an athlete which results in serious injury, the punishment has been increased to three to 10 years in prison and fines of NT$20 million to NT$50 million (US$609,459 to US$1.52 million).
Furthermore, owners of sports teams, lottery issuers and employees who fail to cooperate with investigations and the judicial process would no longer be punished under the Sports Lottery Issuance Act, but the Code of Criminal Procedure (刑事訴訟法) and the Criminal Code.
Photo: Chung Li-hua, Taipei Times
Surplus revenue from sports lottery sales would be used to train athletes and improve the quality of domestic sports, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said, adding that the Cabinet has amended Article 21 and Article 21-1 of the act to ensure that sporting competitions remain fair, and citizens’ gains are protected.
The amendments align with the Sport Industry Development Act (運動產業發展條例), as Taiwan Sports Lottery falls under the larger umbrella of the sports industry, the Ministry of Education’s Sports Administration said.
Hong Kong-based American singer-songwriter Khalil Fong (方大同) has passed away at the age of 41, Fong’s record label confirmed yesterday. “With unwavering optimism in the face of a relentless illness for five years, Khalil Fong gently and gracefully bid farewell to this world on the morning of February 21, 2025, stepping into the next realm of existence to carry forward his purpose and dreams,” Fu Music wrote on the company’s official Facebook page. “The music and graphic novels he gifted to the world remain an eternal testament to his luminous spirit, a timeless treasure for generations to come,” it said. Although Fong’s
China’s military buildup in the southern portion of the first island chain poses a serious threat to Taiwan’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply, a defense analyst warned. Writing in a bulletin on the National Defense and Security Research’s Web site on Thursday, Huang Tsung-ting (黃宗鼎) said that China might choke off Taiwan’s energy supply without it. Beginning last year, China entrenched its position in the southern region of the first island chain, often with Russia’s active support, he said. In May of the same year, a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) force consisting of a Type 054A destroyer, Type 055 destroyer,
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was questioned by prosecutors for allegedly orchestrating an attack on a taxi driver after he was allegedly driven on a longer than necessary route in a car he disliked. The questioning at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office was ongoing as of press time last night. Police have recommended charges of attempted murder. The legally embattled actor — known for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代) — is under a separate investigation for allegedly using fake medical documents to evade mandatory military service. According to local media reports, police said Wang earlier last year ordered a
POLICY UNCHANGED? Despite Trump’s remarks, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio assured that US policy toward Taiwan has remained consistent since the 1970s US President Donald Trump on Wednesday again refused to make clear his stance on protecting Taiwan from a hypothetical takeover by China during his presidency. Asked by a reporter during a Cabinet meeting whether it was his policy that China would never take Taiwan by force while he is president, Trump declined to give a definitive answer. “I never comment on that,” he said. “I don’t comment on it because I don’t want to ever put myself in that position.” Trump also reiterated that he has a “great relationship” with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and said that Washington welcomes good relations with
RSS