Penal Law § 180.40

Sports bribing · as in force on May 31, 2026

§ 180.40 Sports bribing.

A person is guilty of sports bribing when he:

1. Confers, or offers or agrees to confer, any benefit upon a sports participant with intent to influence him not to give his best efforts in a sports contest; or

2. Confers, or offers or agrees to confer, any benefit upon a sports official with intent to influence him to perform his duties improperly.

Sports bribing is a class D felony.

Official sourcehttps://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/PEN/180.40

In plain English

A person commits sports bribing when the person:

(1) gives, offers, or agrees to give a benefit to a sports participant, intending to influence the participant not to give their best effort in a contest; or
(2) gives, offers, or agrees to give a benefit to a sports official, intending to influence the official to perform duties improperly. ★

The offense is a class D felony.

Marked in the text: penalties, time limits, sums of money. Editorial emphasis added by this edition; it does not appear in the statute as enacted.

In print

This provision appears in Volume 4 — The Court Clerk: Penal Law; Volume 1 — The Court Officer in Plain English; Volume 3 — The Court Officer: Penal Law; Volume 3 — Your Career: Penal Law in Plain English.