Statistics and research release
Sports Betting Integrity snapshot - October 2019
Sports Betting Integrity snapshot.
Summary
Also published recently
The Sports Betting Integrity snapshot for October 2019.
Details
October 2019
UNODC Conference
The Sports Betting Intelligence Unit (SBIU) attended the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) (opens in a new tab) conference entitled Safeguarding Sport from Corruption (opens in a new tab). A diverse range of delegates were in attendance which included representatives from both government and inter-governmental organisations, sports governing bodies, law enforcement agencies as well as academics.
The aim of the conference was to raise awareness of the threat of corruption in sport that exists particularly the issues of competition manipulation and illegal betting. How those threats may be mitigated through the use of anti-corruption tools, the establishment of partnerships and stakeholder collaboration as well as the sharing of good working practices were also discussed.
Macolin Convention Working Group
The SBIU also supported a Council of Europe (CoE) working group meeting on the Macolin Convention (opens in new tab). The meeting was attended by colleagues from the Netherlands, France, Belgium, Australia and the CoE. One of the objectives of the Working Group is to produce practical guidance for countries seeking to implement the requirements of the CoE’s Convention on the Manipulation of Sports Competitions.
One of the key requirements within the Convention is for countries to establish a ‘National Platform’ which has the capacity to act as an intelligence hub for key integrity stakeholders. The SBIU currently fulfils this role in GB and as a result have developed a great deal of operational experience in this area since the inception of the unit almost 10 years ago. It is on this basis that the SBIU is well-placed to contribute to this significant piece of European work.
Membership of this group also remains a critical part of SBIU’s engagement with our key international stakeholders, ensuring we stay abreast of current risks, challenges, innovations and good practice in the field of sports betting integrity.
Reports to the SBIU July - September 2019
| Source of report | Percentage of reports |
|---|---|
| Betting operator 15.1 | 46% |
| Bet monitoring and or data provider | 23% |
| Sports governing body | 21% |
| Other source | 10% |
| Sport | Percentage of reports |
|---|---|
| Football | 51% |
| Tennis | 30% |
| Other sport | 14% |
| Horseracing | 5% |
Where are these events taking place & who are we engaging with?
- over 30 Non-GB countries
- over 20 sports governing bodies
- both national & international law enforcement agencies.
2019 SBIF Workshop
On the 17 of October we hosted the Sports Betting Integrity Forum’s (SBIF) annual conference at Tynecastle Park (Heart of Midlothian Football Club) in Edinburgh. Over 100 delegates attended the event including representatives from the betting industry, sports governing bodies, trade bodies, other gambling regulators as well as law enforcement. The event focused on a variety of topics including ‘information sharing’, with the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) delivering a presentation on the topic as well as facilitating one of the days breakout sessions on the practicalities of information sharing.
Other sessions on the day included an introduction to betting integrity for stakeholders new to the sector, future risks and opportunities in betting integrity and a walk through a number of real-life betting integrity cases presented by several SBIF members. BBC Presenter Mark Clemmit (opens in a new tab) did a superb job as Master of Ceremonies for the second year in a row, ensuring the sessions ran smoothly and encouraging questions from the floor.
September SBIF Meeting
September saw the latest SBIF meeting held at the Gambling Commission’s Bloomsbury Office in London. The meeting included a presentation by Sport Scotland’s Head of Service for Governing Bodies in Scotland, John Lunn. John provided an overview of Sport Scotland and how they support the various sports governing bodies that fall within their remit.
Tim Naylor from the British Horseracing Authority updated the group on the Asian Regulated Betting Taskforce whose work includes assessing the extent of illegal betting and understanding the gambling/betting regimes that exist in the far east. Counter-Terrorism Police provided an overview of the use of drones and specifically their unlawful use at sporting events following an increase in reports in the last two years at both sporting and non-sporting events.
UKAD Clean Sport Forum
Betting Integrity Programme Lead, Lorraine Pearman, attended and presented at the United Kingdom Anti Doping (UKAD) Clean Sport Forum at Edgbaston Stadium, Birmingham. The event was staged in Birmingham ahead of the 2022 Commonwealth Games which will be hosted here.
The theme of the Forum was sporting integrity with the emphasis being on anti-doping, but Lorraine provided an overview from a betting integrity perspective. Providing a different perspective on sporting integrity contributes to mapping its landscape, specifically the crossovers that may exist amongst the various issues which threaten the integrity of sport.
You can get in touch with our Sports Betting Intelligence Unit anonymously:
Phone: +44 121 230 6655