It is just as serious to fix the smallest part of a match as it is to fix the world championship

If you fix once you will be forever trapped by the match fixers

A failure to report approaches is an offense that can lead to long bans.

Match fixers will try to trap you slowly through gifts and favors, be careful with your sporting environment and entourage.

And you must not ask anyone else to bet for you

Betting companies and national betting regulators have sophisticated monitoring systems to catch cheats. If you place a bet you will appear on their radar/system.

Your phone and computer can be taped by the police and may be used as evidence

It’s an offense to pass on your knowledge to people who might use it for gambling

It is safest to never bet on your own sport. This includes never asking anyone to bet on your behalf.

Even when there are no specific regulations or laws prohibiting betting on your own sport, it is safest to stay away. Because you know many athletes, if you bet on your sport you risk being accused of helping other people to fix or breaking rules on insider information.

As an athlete you know information that is not yet available to the public, such as team tactics, if a star player is injured or that the coach is putting out a weakened side. This is considered sensitive or inside information and applies before, during and after matches. This information is valuable to gamblers who would use it to secure an unfair advantage and to make a financial gain.

Whilst the rules of your sport may cover sensitive information, the following guidance is designed to protect you from potential problems.

• Never swap information on you, your team or your sport for reward, gifts or favours.

• It is suspicious if you regularly pass on information to a person outside of your club, even if there is no obvious reward.

Whatever the reason, do not seek to fix any aspect of a competition, no matter how small. Never put yourself in a situation which would bring you, or even force you, to adversely influence the natural course of a sporting event.

There is no such thing as an easy win and your actions will result in severe consequences. Fixing any part of an event goes against the rules and ethics of sport and will have major consequences.

The media will run big stories if you, your family or friends do anything that causes suspicious betting patterns. If you are accused of match fixing you risk having your reputation trashed even when you are innocent. If you are guilty you will be banned from your sport (possibly for life), lose your job and may even face a jail sentence.

If anyone approaches you about fixing any part of a match or asks for sensitive information then you need to report this and cannot just ignore it. More and more sports have rules that mean you are guilty of a match fixing offense if you fail to report an approach.

If you have any concerns about anyone, including team mates and coaches, making offers to you then it is crucial that you tell your player association. If you have any doubts about whom to tell, or even if something is a corrupt approach, then ask your player association for advice.

Any threats should always be reported. The police and national laws are there to protect you and your player association will always provide advice in the first instance.