DENMARK Law and Practice Contributed by: Frederik Bruhn, Tim Krarup Nielsen, Robert Jønsson and Rasmus Theis Madsen, DAHL Law Firm
Football-Specific Betting Regulations In football, the DBU introduced “Circular No. 86” in 2014 to address betting-related concerns in line with UEFA’s integrity requirements. This cir - cular supplements DIF’s regulations and applies to players, coaches, referees, club employees, and player agents. Under these rules, individuals contemplated by the regulations are prohibited from: • betting on competitions or tournaments in which they are directly or indirectly involved, including betting on their own team to win; and • abusing insider information by sharing details that could be exploited for betting purposes. Football players and other individuals contem - plated by the regulation are allowed to place bets on foreign leagues, such as the English Premier League or German Bundesliga, as long as they do not have a direct or indirect connection to the competition. Betting on Danish football matches is also permitted for a football player, provided the football player is not involved in the relevant tournament. Enforcement and Notable Cases Betting-related suspensions in Danish football are relatively rare. However, in 2013, a Danish football player was suspended for six months and fined by the DBU Disciplinary Body for betting on his own matches. An additional six- month suspension was later imposed as a sup - plementary sanction. To ensure compliance, DBU and DIF collabo - rate with international organisations such as UEFA and FIFA, as well as betting operators, to monitor irregular betting patterns and uphold the integrity of Danish football.
for players, coaches, and officials regarding the prevention of match-fixing, including mandatory reporting and co-operation with investigations. Enforcement and Recent Cases Cases of match-fixing in Danish sports are han - dled by DIF’s integrity bodies, which have the authority to impose sanctions ranging from fines to lifetime bans from participation in organised sports. While Denmark has not experienced widespread match-fixing scandals in recent years, the regu - latory framework ensures continuous monitoring and enforcement efforts to uphold the integrity of sports competitions. 1.3 Betting Legal Framework and Regulation The Danish Gambling Act has been adopted to protect individuals by ensuring that gambling is provided in a fair, responsible and transparent manner. For example, providers of gambling ser - vices require a licence to organise games where participation in the games is subject to the pay - ment of a stake. Such licences may be granted by the Danish Gambling Authority, provided the specified conditions are met. Betting is subject to compliance with the Gam - bling Act in Denmark, but sports governing bod - ies have adopted strict regulations to prevent conflicts of interest and protect the integrity of the sports and the competitions. DIF oversees betting restrictions under its “Regulations on the Prohibition of the Manipulation of Sports Com - petitions and Similar Unethical Conduct” . These rules, in general, prohibit individuals involved in sports from placing bets that could compromise the fairness and integrity of the competitions.
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