Japan going for carrot and stick approach to end baseball gambling scandal

The Nippon Professional Baseball is relaxing its strict rules, all for the sake of finally ending the gambling scandal that hit the Japanese baseball league.

Early this week, the organization announced it will offer limited suspension to members—players or team staff—who would come forward and admit their involvement in betting on pro baseball games, Japan Today reported.

But there’s a deadline: those involved must confess on or before April 25.

It was the league’s investigations body that recommended for the NPB’s Executive Committee to take “exceptional measures” that will “encourage people to voluntarily disclose involvement in betting on baseball.”