In the last decade the practice of sport stars leaking information to gambling syndicates has become all too frequent.

Now sports players in the UK have been warned that they face two-year jail sentences if they break new laws that come into force under the Gambling Act today.

The Professional Players Federation (PPF), an umbrella group for players' unions, has issued a code on gambling to its members and has called on the government to do more to educate athletes about the risks they face under the new regulations.

Sports betting has surged in recent years, but increasing revenues have been matched by growing concerns over the threat to the integrity of competition. With the growth in online betting exchanges that allow punters to take bets as well as make them, sports governing bodies have become increasingly concerned at the potential for athletes to profit by manipulating performance or by passing on privileged information.

The sports of football, cricket and horse racing in particular have suffered in recent years as a result of ‘fixing’ and the new law plans to deal as harshly as possible with those involved.

Under the act anyone cheating or helping someone to cheat in a sports bet will face a jail term. The act and its strictures will apply to participants and also trainers, managers and even the journalists they speak to.

The PPF fears sports stars could inadvertently fall foul of the new regulations. "A footballer could tell his mates that so-and-so is going to play well or score, and without realising it potentially be in breach of the law," said a spokesman. "We would like to see proper education on the implications of the act."

Horse racing has been in the forefront of the battle against corruption, with several leading jockeys banned for misusing inside information or passing it to gambling syndicates. This month the former champion jockey Kieran Fallon goes on trial charged with attempting to defraud customers of a betting exchange.

Tennis has also been hit by scandal. The authorities are investigating allegations of corruption surrounding a match between Nikolay Davydenko and Martín Vassallo Argüello. The betting exchange Betfair voided all bets on the match after noticing suspicious betting patterns.

Under the new act the Gambling Commission will have the power to void all bets that are deemed suspicious and to demand information from bookmakers about betting patterns.

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