UEFA: Fight against betting fraud

Together with Europal, the UEFA wants to act strictly against betting fraud in professional football in the future. As part of the “first international conference on game manipulation in football”, the European Football Association and the European police office invited numerous representatives from football and judiciary. The agenda included current dangers for the integrity of sport and potential measures against criminal structures.

Conference in the Hague

The sports betting industry is a booming business and for many football fans a hobby that belongs to play and tournaments. In industry, however, more and more black sheep have been nestled over time, which act away from the legal market and with illegal activities that Integrability of football endanger. Become so Targeted games manipulated, to make gigantic profits via sports betting.

These machinations have always been a thorn in the side of both the football community and the law enforcement authorities in Europe. Since betting frauds and game manipulations have even become common over the years, UEFA and Euro -European decided to do so, to proceed with united forces against the criminal structures.

EUROPOL. The European Union police authority is active in many areas of work, but primarily takes care of combating and prevention of illegal weapons, drug trade, child pornography and money laundering. The participation in professional football is therefore surprising for some observers and experts. However, the criminal structures have now made such deep roots that direct cooperation with the representatives of the football world has become essential.

In the headquarters in the European headquarters in Dutch Den Haag, the football association and the European police authority invited to an international conference to counter game manipulation and betting fraud together. According to UEFA press release followed Around 109 experts from 49 countries The Invitation. The present were decorated representatives of various law enforcement and judicial authorities as well as national football associations.

Early detection of suspicious betting patterns

In the course of the one -day conference, the individual representatives devoted themselves to different subject areas. Among other things, various options and options for operational cooperation between football associations and law enforcement agencies were explored. Above all, the question was how Important information in the future is more easily exchanged could become.

The Early detection of suspicious betting patterns as well as prevention. Burkhard Mühl, head of the European Center for Finance and Economic Crime (EFECC), explains in a statement that work must be worked together in all relevant areas in the future:

“Enormous profits are made to make the unpredictable predictable. Cases of game manipulations and suspicious results are increasing. The cooperation between law enforcement and sports organizations is crucial to recognize and examine suspected cases in football. In addition, the goal must be to prevent fraudulent activities before they can even use. ”– Burkhard Mühl, Head of the European Center for Finance and Economic Crime (EFECC), Official press release from UEFA

Pandemic inspires game manipulations

Corona pandemic currently no longer seems to be a relevant topic, but it has left traces in every corner of the earth-including football. The elimination of the game for several months has one of the professional football enormous financial damage inflicted. This misery in turn played the criminal structures behind the game manipulation. According to Mühl, the Pandemic effects are responsible for the fact that cases of betting fraud and manipulations have increased enormously.

The financial loss of construct professional football is felt to feel all actors involved. Players, coaches, referees and other officials stood or are still there with less money. According to Mühl, the respective actors are thereby More susceptible to potential bribes and recruitment attempts the criminal organizations.

Suspicious parts. In fact, the studies and analyzes of various monitoring groups confirm that the number of suspicious football games has risen during pandemic. For example, the “International Betting Integrity Association” (IBIA) registered around 66 encounters in 2021, which were subject to potential betting fraud. The “Sportradar” group even wants to have counted around 201 suspicious games in the same period. As the official partner of the UEFA, the Swiss company is very hiked in the field and has found out by using various analysis tools that the criminal structures generated around 165 million $ from sports betting last year that were placed on manipulated games.

The international conference on game manipulations in football is the first step in football and law enforcement to decide to act against the criminal energies in business. Many questions now have to be answered and many structures for fruitful cooperation.