The WLA is dedicated to combatting illegal lottery operations around the globe.
It considers the territorial integrity of its members as a top priority.
As such, it embraces the definition of illegal betting found in the Macolin Convention, which has been included in the WLA Code of Conduct.
The WLA advises member lotteries on how they can best fight unauthorized lotteries within the regulatory framework of their respective jurisdictions through the work of its Combating Illegal Lotteries and Betting Committee (CILBC).
Established in 2019, the CILBC regularly reviews the tools and resources available to help member lotteries combat illegal gaming in their jurisdictions. In 2020, it launched a database of known illegal lottery and betting operations, with a particular focus on bet-on-lottery schemes and courier services and produced a set of detailed fact sheets for over 30 countries, which can be found in the member section of the WLA website.
In coordination with the United Lotteries for Integrity in Sports (ULIS), the CILBC is developing a similar database related to sports betting legislation and national actions that can be taken to combat illegal sports betting.
In this regard, the WLA’s Betting Integrity on Sports & Horse Racing Committee also provides strategic guidelines for sports betting. ULIS is the Committee’s subject matter expert on sports integrity. Projects on the topic of sports integrity, including this guide, are executed within the framework of inter-association exchange and mutual support.
A united front affords a more effective way of addressing the increasingly complex, global nature of online illegal betting. The WLA values collaborating with other organizations involved in this fight, such as the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) Council on Anti-Illegal Betting and Related Crime.
The State of Illegal Betting, published in 2022, by the ARF - now the IFHA, is based on the analysis of 534 betting websites to examine their licensing status, products offered, website traffic, server locations and other data points. The report includes a series of commentaries from Council members on how sports data can fuel illegal betting; the greater negative impacts of illegal betting and gambling-related harm; international and intergovernmental issues around corruption in sport; and notable examples and development in sports law in relation to illegal betting.
Modern Day Integrity Bet Monitoring and Betting Analysis Conducted by Horseracing and Sport Regulators, published in 2024, explains why having betting analysis capabilities is a fundamental and crucial function of any racing or sports regulator (governing body, racing club or racing authority) and provides concrete and pragmatic examples of the key principles of developing and implementing an efficient betting analysis function.
