European State Lotteries Vow to Fight Sports Betting Crimes

European State Lotteries Vow to Fight Sports Betting Crimes
Submitted by Andy Belton
Illegal sportsbetting crimes like match fixing have become a very prevalent problem in Europe’s sporting industries. In recent years, there has been a vast increase in the rate of this type of crime. Associations like FIFA and the International Olympic Committee have taken steps towards fighting the problem; and now, European lotteries are getting involved in the cause.

European Lotteries (EL) gathered at the General Assembly meeting on June 8th to discuss the issue. The EL represents gaming operators from more than 40 different countries across Europe. Of the 27 European Union member states, members of the EL provide sports betting for 23 of them. Because they work closely with sporting markets, they feel it is their responsibility to help maintain the integrity of sports.

In order to do so, they outlined several actions that they will take in order to fight illegal sports betting. In particular, the EL hopes to expand monitoring systems for bets made on sports, in addition to establishing a sports integrity agency with international reach. The EL will also provide financial support of the measures required in order to take these steps.

The EL also believes that a number of legal measures need to be taken in order to fight match fixing. For example, the group will promote legislations that strictly punished sports fraud and money laundering, as well as restrictions on certain types of bets.