Swedish government announces swathe of new measures to combat match-fixing
New regulatory measures will see licensees required to report any suspicious betting activity as the government awards the regulator SEK11m to combat issue
The Swedish government has pledged further funding to the country’s gambling regulator as part of its efforts to combat match-fixing.
In a joint press conference hosted yesterday, 2 May, Sweden’s Finance Minister Niklas Wykman and the Swedish Gambling Authority’s (SGA) director general Camilla Rosenberg revealed their plans to tackle the issue.
The duo said the new measures will improve the communication channels between operators, sports federations and the regulator to detect match-fixing sooner and help prevent it.
Firstly, the government will be awarding the SGA an additional SEK11m (£810,000) in funding to counter match-fixing.
There will also be a slew of regulatory changes introduced for sports betting operators as well as sports confederations and leagues.
Licensees will be obliged to report any suspicious betting activity to the regulator as part of licence conditions, while sporting confederations will be requested and given the opportunity to do so.
The National Sports Confederation and licence holders will be allowed to share information with each other with the joint aim to detect potential match-fixing sooner.
The SGA will be in charge of gathering this information from its licensees. If an operator fails to provide this information, there could be sanctions of up to 10% of the operator’s annual turnover, or run the risk of a licence revoke.
Alongside these regulatory changes, the SGA will lead the formation of a new Match-Fixing Council.
The body will be made up of representatives from Sweden’s National Police Board, the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the sports and gambling sectors.
The council will promote strategic and operational cooperation when it comes to match-fixing.
Minister Wykman said: “Match-fixing makes the gangs richer at the same time youth sports are harmed. Athletes should not be pawns in the activities of organised crime. In order to fight crime and protect sports, it is important to stop match-fixing.”
These changes will come into force on 1 July 2024.
In January this year, the SGA penned a memorandum of understanding with the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA).
As part of the agreement, the pair will share information on suspicious betting activity in Swedish sports with the IBIA representing a majority of the SGA-licensed market.