A representative from the Gibraltar Gambling Division specializing in sports integrity matters recently participated in a workshop jointly organized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and UEFA at the Olympic House in Lausanne, Switzerland.
With the upcoming Olympics and UEFA European Championship being held later this year, the workshop served as a platform for stakeholders, including gambling regulators from various jurisdictions such as Gibraltar, to strategize on detecting suspicious betting activities and preventing match-fixing proactively.
In the 2022-2023 period, the Gibraltar Gambling Division received a total of 42 betting integrity reports from gambling operators and responded to 13 requests for assistance from the Olympic Movement Unit of the Prevention of Manipulation of Sports Competitions.
Additionally, the division facilitated numerous information exchanges with domestic and international sports governing bodies, including FIFA and UEFA, and collaborated closely with law enforcement authorities.
The commitment to sports integrity was further underscored last month when the Gibraltar Football Association (GFA) hosted a UEFA Seminar on match-fixing, attended by representatives from the Gambling Division.
Andrew Lyman, the Gibraltar Gambling Commissioner, called sports integrity work and liaising with stakeholders on match-fixing “an important, but often unseen” part of the commission’s work.
“Operators are obliged to report suspicious activity in this area and the Gambling Division applies its expertise to enhance intelligence and support the lawful flow of information to the appropriate authorities, including sports governing bodies, for further investigation,” Lyman noted.
“The manipulation of sports competition by spot-fixing or match-fixing undermines the very essence of fair and unpredictable sporting outcomes. The forthcoming Gambling Bill will introduce a criminal offence of cheating at gambling which will serve to further deter such activity.”