MATCH FIXING: Scientific report confirms the astonishing scale of sports betting fraud and encourages the establishment of an international integrity platform

Source: Sportaccord
http://www.sportaccord.com/en/news/scientific-report-confirms-the-astonishing-scale-of-sports-betting-fraud-and-encourages-the-establishment-of-an-international-integrity-platform-0-1762

PRESENTED YESTERDAY IN PARIS THE RESULTS OF A TWO YEARS RESEARCH PROJECT ON ETHICS AND SECURITY IN SPORT. THE MAIN FOCUS OF THE STUDY IS THE MANIPULATION OF SPORTS COMPETITIONS AND THE REVIEW OF THE MEASURES TO BE TAKEN TO TACKLE THIS SCOURGE. THE CONFERENCE GATHERED OVER 300 PARTICIPANTS IN THE PRESTIGIOUS AMPHITHEATRE OF THE SORBONNE UNIVERSITY, THE ONE WHERE 120 YEARS AGO PIERRE DE COUBERTIN CHAIRED THE CONGRESS TO ESTABLISH THE MODERN OLYMPIC GAMES.

The findings of the scientific report include startling figures on the scale and scope of the sport-betting market, which is identified as the primary purpose for match-fixing as it has been transformed in the last 15 years into a multi-billion dollar industry.  

Organised crime is estimated to launder over

US$140 billion annually through sport betting

and 80% of global sport betting to be illegal. 

 

The report states that the most manipulated competitions are at a national level but highlights that the ‘fixing’ of competition and betting is instigated at a transnational level. Football and cricket prove to be the most targeted sports by criminals.

SportAccord participated to the research notably by conducting a survey last year within its members to question their current measures and policies. By taking part in one of the afternoon’s panels, the aim was to once again put an emphasis on the importance, from the sports movement perspective, of prevention and education. The report notes that 60% of the initiatives identified in that field were launched in the last 18 months, with 40% developed in Europe mainly in football, tennis, cricket and rugby.

SportAccord Integrity Officer discusses the importance of education within the sports organisation's panel

As part of its findings, the Sorbonne-ICSS Report provides Guiding Principles for governments, sports organisations, betting regulators and operators to adopt in order to combat match-fixing and illegal betting. These recommendations include: creating a sports betting tax to finance investigations into match-fixing and illegal-betting, determination of an integrity risk assessment and management system for sports organisations and prohibiting players, coaches and administrators from betting on competitions and matches within their sport. It also recommends that sports betting operators cooperate with sports bodies through, for example, enhanced monitoring systems and the exchange of intelligence in cases of breaches of sports regulations or national legislation.

This extensive and comprehensive two-year project provides a clear call to action and notably encourages the creation of a coordinated international integrity platform. SportAccord looks forward to following up on this unique work and in particular to consider the way for SISO (Sports Integrity Standards Organisation) to be a proactive stakeholder of such an international integrity platform.

• Access HERE the Executive Summary of the Sorbonne-ICSS Report ‘Protecting the Integrity of Sport Competition: The Last Bet for Modern Sport’.
• Access HERE the Sorbonne-ICSS Guiding Principles for Protecting the Integrity of Sport Competition. 

- See more at: http://www.sportaccord.com/en/news/scientific-report-confirms-the-astonishing-scale-of-sports-betting-fraud-and-encourages-the-establishment-of-an-international-integrity-platform-0-17629#sthash.6hKqv2MN.dpuf