Swedish government proposes law change to bolster fight against match-fixing

The Swedish government has sent out a memorandum for consultation as it attempts to change the Gambling Act and improve the battle against match-fixing.

The change being proposed would allow the Swedish Gambling Authority (SGA) to share and process information regarding suspected match-fixing with operators that hold a betting licence in the country as well as those involved with the respective sport.

As it stands, operators are not allowed to share individuals data due to EU Data Protection Regulation and the memorandum aiming to remove the obstacles “in the legislation to effective cooperation between relevant actors” – such as giving firms the legal support to share customer information.

Niklas Wykman, minister for financial markets, explained why the SGA and others sports organisations should be able to process the information in order to combat the problem of match-fixing.

Wykman said: “It is important that licensees, the Swedish Gambling Authority and the sports movement work actively against match-fixing.

“In some cases, it may be necessary to process personal data, in which case-relevant actors need to be able to do so.”

The proposed change would come into effect from 1 December 2024 and would ensure Sweden meets the requirements of the Macolin Convention after Wykman said last October the country was preparing to join the international agreement.

Earlier this month, the SGA and International Betting Integrity Association signed a memorandum of understanding to strengthen sports betting integrity in Sweden.