CCPR today (11 April 2008) publishes independent research into the risks posed to the integrity of sport from corrupt betting.
There has been huge growth in sports betting in recent years. It is estimated that £38 billion was bet on sport events in the UK in 2006 and the Government has recently established the Gambling Commission to regulate the betting industry.
The research, endorsed by the Minister for Sport Gerry Sutcliffe MP, and commissioned from the Centre for the Study of Gambling at the University of Salford, examines changes in the sports betting market and how the integrity of sport and of sporting competition could be significantly undermined by ‘fixed’ sports events.
The report highlights numerous examples of illegal betting and sporting activity that have occurred around the world and analyses the potential risks to domestic sport in relation to a number of shifting causal factors.
These include an increase in the volume and ‘liquidity’ of the betting market; an increase in competition between bookmakers; the rapid growth of remote betting and the emergence of betting exchanges; and the huge choice of bets that is now available to customers, in particular those forms of bet which are not necessarily connected to the actual result of a match or sporting contest.
The report concludes that these factors have all contributed to a significant increase in the risk of corruption of sport and sporting competition in the UK. It also offers a number of recommendations to the betting industry and to sport’s governing bodies in order to reduce that risk.
As a result of the report’s recommendations, CCPR is calling for:
A tightening of the obligation on the betting industry to share information of suspicious or unusual betting patterns with sport’s governing bodies. Without access to information about who exactly is placing suspicious or unusual bets and on what events, governing bodies’ efforts to keep corruption out of sport will be significantly hampered. More detailed sharing of information is essential in order that any betting cheats can be exposed and dealt with.
Sports bodies to share best practice in keeping corruption out of sport. Governing bodies of sport have a mutual interest in ensuring the sector’s integrity is maintained. Many governing bodies are already acutely aware of the risk that corruption in betting poses both to their reputations and their ability continue to run successful sporting events. As a result, some sports already have sophisticated procedures in place to ensure the integrity of their operations. CCPR wants all governing bodies to be aware of the risk that betting poses to their sport and for them to establish and implement robust and effective measures which protect them from ‘fixed’ betting activity.
The betting industry to make a contribution to the costs of the extra measures sport needs to put in place to protect itself from this increased risk. The risks to sport of corrupt betting are, to a large extent, imposed by the existence and the unprecedented growth of the betting industry. It is in the best long term interests of the industry to ensure that sport remains free of corruption, otherwise the confidence of customers will be eroded. CCPR believes that one of the best ways the industry can ensure that sport is protected is by making a contribution to the costs governing bodies incur maintaining integrity. The betting industry makes billions of pounds in profit from sport. By making a realistic contribution to the extra measures required, the betting industry will be making an investment in its own future, as well as in that of sport.
CCPR counts 270 governing and representative bodies of sport in its membership. It is also working with the Sports Rights Owners Coalition, the alliance of governing bodies and organisations that oversee the governance of sports and/or manage sports events.
