Sport and Sports Betting Industry Collaborate to Fight Match-Fixing
Sports betting entities and international federations joined UEFA and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on 11 April for a full-day workshop focused on how sport and the sports betting industry can work together to fight match-fixing. The workshop, co-organised by the IOC and UEFA, was held at Olympic House in Lausanne and aimed to explore opportunities for cross-sector collaboration with a specific focus on integrity exchange in support of the upcoming Olympic Games Paris 2024 and the UEFA Euro 2024.
Joint Strategies to Combat Match-Fixing
The workshop commenced with presentations by the Olympic Movement Unit on the Prevention of the Manipulation of Competitions (OM Unit PMC) and UEFA’s Anti-Match-Fixing Unit. These presentations delved into each team’s strategy for combatting match-fixing, engaging with the sports betting industry, and detecting and investigating potentially fraudulent betting activity.
UEFA is actively involved in promoting integrity through dedicated education, prevention, and awareness-raising programs. Additionally, UEFA plays a crucial role in detecting, investigating, and sanctioning match-fixing. Collaborating with stakeholders within football, such as the network of integrity officers working for UEFA’s 55 member associations, as well as the wider sports community, is vital in ensuring efficient and effective anti-match-fixing measures.
Integrity Measures for UEFA Euro 2024
UEFA takes the integrity of all its competitions seriously and implements tailored, competition-specific integrity measures. Building on the success of previous UEFA competitions, UEFA aims to establish close collaboration with host and participating nation stakeholders, public authorities, and sports betting entities for UEFA Euro 2024. This collaboration will include real-time monitoring of the betting market and the utilization of UEFA’s secure integrity website, where individuals can confidentially and anonymously report suspected cases of match-fixing. During the workshop, UEFA shared its competition risk assessment and mitigation strategy, as well as explaining its approach to escalating, triaging, and assessing potential integrity concerns.
Quotes from Key Figures
Vincent Ven, Head of Anti-Match-Fixing at UEFA, emphasized the importance of collaboration in the fight against match-fixing, stating, “Sport alone cannot eradicate match-fixing. We must work together – raising awareness, sharing information, ensuring robust prevention and detection systems are in place – to protect sport and athletes.” He further highlighted the cooperation that will take place during UEFA EURO 2024, with Germany-based staff working alongside betting integrity entities, operators, regulators, public authorities, and national associations.
Friedrich Martens, Head of the OM Unit PMC, echoed the need for collaboration during the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris, stating, “we will work together with a series of betting operators, associations, and major betting regulatory authorities to exchange relevant information about irregular betting patterns or suspicious betting activities detected that might imply competition manipulation.”
Panel Discussions and Information Sharing
The workshop also featured panel discussions involving various sport governing bodies and betting integrity entities. These discussions provided valuable insights into best practices, trends, and success stories from each sector’s perspective. Additionally, two betting operators shared examples of fruitful cooperation with UEFA and the IOC in areas of prevention and investigations.
The afternoon session focused on enhancing cooperation between sport and sports betting entities, recent trends in sports betting, and their potential impact on sport integrity. Discussion also centered around improving information sharing to support the detection and investigation of match-fixing cases.
With collaborative efforts between the sports industry and the sports betting industry, there is hope for a stronger defense against match-fixing. By prioritizing integrity and implementing robust prevention and detection systems, sport can be better protected, ensuring fair and transparent competitions for athletes and fans alike.