Maintaining sports integrity

Over the past decade, online sports betting has boomed worldwide, covering more sports and betting offers. At the same time, sports competition manipulation has risen. When coupled with the expansion of the illegal betting market, these illicit activities threaten the integrity of sport and jeopardize the reputation of our industry.

Given that more than half of our lotterymembers offer sports betting, and many more support good causes which include sportsorganizations and federations, the lotteries reinvest their profits into sports development, rather thanmonetizing integrity risks, for example:

• 60 percent of the Swiss Olympic budget is founded by the Swiss Lotteries.
• 75 percent of Japan Sports Council profits go to sports.
• 100 percent of the profits generated by MDJS, in Morocco, are returned to the national fund for sports development.
• 15 percent of profits are given to sports by Caixa, Brasil despite not offering sports betting.

Thus, it is increasingly important to enhance our support in this area. We have expanded our activities to become a leading force in the global effort to maintain sports integrity and combat match fixing.

Our Betting Integrity on Sports and Horse Racing Committee (BISHRC), was established to preserve the integrity of sport by fighting against match fixing and illegal betting. Its work includes partnering with diverse stakeholders in projects to raise awareness of the challenges and issues, as well as develop strategies and tools to tackle them. We’ll hear from the Chair of the BISHRC, Jean-Luc Banet-Monet, about the Committee’s achievements and focus for the year.

We will also explore the key work done by the United Lotteries for Integrity of Sport (ULIS), a non-profit association, established to support licensed state lotteries in their mission to ensure integrity and fight crime in sport.

Unique in its non-commercial approach tosports integrity, with lotteries as its leading proponents, the work of ULIS isessential for safeguarding sport from manipulation, corruption, and illegalbetting influences. Grounded in public interest, ethics, and collaboration,rather than profit. The ULIS model:

• Puts sport and players first.
• Encourages open cooperation.
• Supports systemic integrity rather than isolated compliance.
• Enhances public trust in both sport and betting governance.

Over the past four years, ULIS membership has grown, and its products and services now comprise a complete ecosystem of preventive education, training, and networking, as well as interventional services of monitoring, detection, reporting, with stakeholder and law enforcement collaboration.

Finally, in this issue, we’ll gain a broader understanding of ULIS, its activities and network from the perspective of its members, including interviews with lotteries and public authorities as well as partners, such as sports and intergovernmental organizations, and regional lottery associations.

I hope you enjoy the read.