ULIS joins Australian task force against match-fixing at Rugby League World Cup

ULIS, the United Lotteries for Integrity in Sports, has joined the Australian Match-Fixing Task Force for the 2026 Rugby League World Cup. The task force was activated by Sport Integrity Australia to protect the tournament from match-fixing and betting-related corruption. ULIS has been one of the task force's international integrity partners since it was established in 2025.

The tournament runs from 15 October to 15 November 2026 in nine cities across Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea. The task force brings together rugby bodies, law enforcement, government agencies, betting operators and international integrity partners, with the aim of strengthening coordination and information sharing for the duration of the competition. Sport Integrity Australia is Australia's designated national platform under the Macolin Convention.

Within the task force, ULIS monitors betting markets on the tournament through its global network of state lotteries and monitoring centres in Denmark, Hong Kong and Canada. The information and reports it gathers are shared with the other task force members.

Sport Integrity Australia established the task force to protect the integrity of major sporting events hosted in Australia ahead of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The activation for the Rugby League World Cup builds on coordination measures already taken for the 2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup.

James Moller, head of international strategy and policy at Sport Integrity Australia, said the task force takes a proactive, vigilant and unified approach. He said that although there is no specific information indicating threats to the 2026 Rugby League World Cup, it is essential that all organisations involved in protecting the competition's integrity remain vigilant. Moller said match-fixing is a serious offence in Australia and that organisations need to be aware of their roles and responsibilities in contributing to the unified approach.

ULIS president Jean-Luc Moner-Banet said the task force is a concrete example of international cooperation and of the kind the Macolin Convention is intended to promote. He said Sport Integrity Australia had brought sport, law enforcement, government and the betting sector to the same table, and that the task force can draw on ULIS's monitoring experience and the strength of its global lottery network.