Interview with WLA President on combatting match-fixing

How is the WLA’s new strategy progressing, and within it, what is the role of the Betting Integrity on Sports and Horse Racing Committee (BISHRC)?

Our new strategy is making strong progress. One of the four pillars of the WLA, and an important theme addressed in the strategy, is the work carried out by the BISHRC to maintain sports integrity, by leading the fight against match-fixing and illegal betting.  

This includes partnerships to raise awareness of the issues to all stakeholders across the entire lottery, sports betting and sports ecosystem, through projects and events. It also involves the development of guidelines and other useful tools to support our members and other organizations that participate in the global effort to combat match fixing and illegal betting.  

Our strength lies in collaboration. We bring together regulated operators, law enforcement, sports bodies, and monitoring services. This networked approach is what allows the WLA together with the United Lotteries for Integrity in Sports (ULIS) to lead with credibility and impact.

How does sports competition manipulation affect our industry?

Sports competition manipulation has a very negative effect on the reputation of the lottery and sports betting sector, and the sports world. It is a complex question that covers many aspects and requires a truly global effort to combat.

Match fixing is happening in a growing number of sports, at different levels and in many jurisdictions, worldwide. Fair play is at the heart of sports. No one wins when there is match fixing, not the athletes, teams and fans, nor the regulated lotteries and sports betting operators.

An important point to make is that there is a link between match fixing and illegal betting. Often, illegal betting operators facilitate money laundering from fixed match winnings and other related illicit activities.

The WLA Combatting Illegal Lotteries and Betting Committee (CILBC) works on aspects related to illegal betting, while the BISHRC covers anti-money laundering in this respect, and has published the Anti-money laundering best practices guide to assist our members in this area.

Another challenge is the different definitions of what is considered as illegal betting in jurisdictions around the world. This can lead to the situation that a sports betting operator provides sports betting in a jurisdiction in which it is not licensed to do so.

Unlicensed operators also have an unfair advantage over the regulated lottery and sports betting operators. They do not adhere to responsible gaming best practices for the safety of players, nor do they pay taxes, which go to support good causes, consequently, they have greater funds to develop more enticing offers.  

Additionally, digitalization and advanced technologies make it difficult for authorities to trace and stop such operations. Worse still, players may not realize that they are on an illegal sports betting site, which may offer larger payouts, that it ultimately does not pay.

What is the WLA doing to support its members in tackling these issues?

The WLA works with different partners to provide members with the latest relevant information and intelligence in this area.

We avidly support the Council of Europe (CoE) Convention on the Manipulation of Sports Competitions, aka Macolin Convention, which entered into force in September 2019. It is the only legally binding, international treaty that deals with the global fight against the manipulation of sports competitions and illegal sports betting, and it aims to prevent, detect, punish, and discipline the manipulation of sports competitions.

The Convention provides a clear definition of illegal betting and establishes a robust framework with mechanisms to reduce the risk of match-fixing, illegal sports betting or other illicit activities, while fostering the cooperation of all relevant stakeholders. This definition is embedded in our Code of Conduct, adhered to by our members.  

We firmly believe that in order to combat this global issue effectively, there needs to be a common understanding and accepted definition of what illegal betting is by our members and the broader global lottery and sports betting community.  

One initiative underway by the BISHRC and CoE, is the development of guidelines which can be used to assess the provision of services by the betting industry, across a wide range of competitions and sports. We hope this will help betting operators to maintain the highest integrity standards at all levels across individuals/teams, competitions, and markets (betting types), where player betting occurs the most.

We are continuing our support of the CoE’s Addressing Competitions Manipulation Together (ACT II) project, which involves training and events on the topics already mentioned, and projects to enhance National Platforms, and build new tools.

We also work closely with ULIS, which has an advisory role on the BISHRC.  

How can WLA lottery members contribute to efforts to combat match fixing?

The global effort to combat match fixing and illegal betting requires expertise, knowledge and intel from very diverse players. Regulated lotteries and sports betting operators, athletes, teams, coaches, sports federations, national and international law enforcement agencies, legal experts, and sports betting monitoring bodies all bring important know-how to the table. When this relevant information comes together, we have the greatest chance of successfully addressing the issues.

Our members have a key role to play in initiating the conversation with their governments and advocating for them to ratify the Macolin Convention, which will allow the implementation of the Convention’s provisions in their jurisdictions.  

The foundation and basis of the Macolin Convention’s provisions do just this, with the establishment of a National Platform within a country. National Platforms serve as information hubs where data, essential in the fight against the manipulation of sports competitions, is centralized, analyzed, and shared with national and international stakeholders. It also enables the objectives of the Macolin Convention to be properly implemented in accordance with existing legislation.