Sports betting and corruption: How to preserve the - SportAccord

Sports betting and corruption: How to preserve the integrity of sport
Interpol, an international platform for cooperation between police forces, undertook a series of
operations aimed at breaking up illegal networks of bookmakers in Asia. Three operations were
carried out in 2007, 2008 and 2010 in cooperation with local police forces, who were responsible for
making arrests. In the space of one month during the 2010 FIFA World Cup, over 5,000 people were
arrested in Asia (China, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand) and over $10 million was seized 109 . Interpol s
most recent initiative in this respect was in cooperation with FIFA, which unfroze $20 million to
create a training centre in Singapore with several areas of activity, from training for athletes and sports
management to training for local police forces. Its location in Singapore is deliberate, because, like
Hong Kong, the city offers a microcosm and laboratory for the new face of sports betting in the age of
the Internet in Asia. It is scheduled to open in 2013, but it is unclear as yet how this approach will be
expressed in terms of national competences. In any event, having a training centre will help to
integrate systems and know-how at national level. This training initiative may be deployed at other
levels, and particularly in Europe by Europol.
The importance of police cooperation is being able to access evidence. Unlike doping, for which the
proof can be established on the basis of urine or blood samples, corruption in sport is much more
difficult to establish, and particularly cannot do without international cooperation in the face of
penetration that has no borders. Bridges between the various services and countries are therefore
essential, and Interpol can help by coordinating with local authorities. In the same way, Europol is
beginning to become aware of the issue, and plays a role in coordinating cross-border investigations
such as those required for the Bochum case. The primary function of Europol is to coordinate
intelligence relating to criminal activities in Europe, at European level. Eurojust - whose remit is to
encourage and improve the coordination of enquiries and criminal proceedings between the competent
authorities of the Member States of the Union - can also be involved in this cooperation. Dutch MEP
Emine Bozkurt has requested the creation of joint investigation teams between Eurojust and Europol
for a coordinated approach and exchanges between jurisdictions 110 .
Punishing fraud in sport
The interest of organised crime in the sports betting market and its growing involvement in matchfixing
arises from the low risk to which it is exposed by acting in this sector. Unlike many Mafia
activities such as drug- people- or arms-trafficking, sports betting is a poorly monitored activity.
Criminals are not exposed to deterrent penalties.
On the one hand are the measures that can be taken by the sports movement (surveillance of
competitions, raising awareness among members etc.), and on the other are tools for which it is
necessary to have recourse to the public authorities (telephone tapping, searches, surveillance of bank
data). Several federations (such as FIFA, the International Cricket Council and the International
Tennis Federation) have also employed former career policemen to head up their anti-match-fixing
units. This approach originates in a pragmatic reality; these are people who understand the reasoning
and operating methods of criminals, and who can tap into a relational network woven during the
109 https://www.interpol.int/Public/ICPO/PressReleases/PR2010/PR059Fr.asp
110 Meeting of the European Parliament, 22 September 2011
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