The Swedish gaming enterprise, Svenska Spel, has voiced its disapproval of the Swedish Gambling Authority’s (Spelinspektionen) proposed strategies to counter match-fixing. Svenska Spel argues that prohibiting wagers on irregularities still leaves ample space for manipulation.
Last month, Spelinspektionen suggested an alteration to Swedish gaming rules that would forbid operators from providing odds on irregularities, such as yellow cards in soccer or errors in tennis.
At the time, the regulatory body stated that the measure would aid in combating match-fixing, as any athlete engaging in specific actions due to manipulating the game would not receive any potential reward.
The consultation on these proposals concluded on February 14th, and Svenska Spel seized this opportunity to express its opposition to the plans. Chief Executive Officer Patrick Hofbauer asserted that the measures were insufficient to safeguard sports, combat gambling fraud, or bolster consumer protection.
“If we aim to triumph over the battle against match-fixing, we must implement more stringent actions.”
A key step is to prohibit all readily influenced wagering items,” stated Hofbauer. “This suggestion appears to provide safeguards, but in actuality, it’s quite restricted.
“Consequently, we advocate for stricter oversight and hope that the Swedish Gaming Authority will take our perspectives into account.”
Hofbauer mentioned that although the regulatory body intends to forbid wagers on specific game aspects, patrons can still place bets on other occurrences, such as corner kicks and throw-ins. He indicated that these in-game events, like yellow cards, are easily influenced.
“Corner kicks and throw-ins are at least as susceptible to manipulation as yellow cards, so the rationale behind this boundary is difficult to grasp,” remarked Hofbauer. “Instead, we believe that all wagers on easily manipulated game occurrences should be prohibited.”
Hofbauer also voiced concerns that the proposed prohibition would only apply to athletic events held within Sweden, while contests and matches held elsewhere would not be subject to these measures.
As a result, Hofbauer and the Swedish betting firms have put forward alternative measures for the regulator to consider. Initially, the operators stated that the prohibition should apply to readily influenced events in all contests or matches.
The operators suggested that the prohibition should be extended to all betting companies authorized in Sweden, rather than being limited to athletic events held in Sweden.
The Swedish gambling firm Svenska Spel has suggested that gaming companies should restrict the kinds of wagers they can provide, noting that the higher the level of a match or event, the more challenging it is to influence the result.
Moreover, Svenska Spel feels that authorized operators should be required to report all dubious occurrences to regulators promptly, rather than annually as Spelinspektionen has proposed.
As part of this initiative, Svenska Spel has urged Sweden to join the Council of Europe’s so-called Macolin Convention, which has been signed by 27 nations.
Spelinspektionen’s proposal has also been criticized by the Swedish online gambling industry association Branschföreningen för Onlinespel (BOS), which argues that removing bets on these events from the regulated market would mean that authorities would lose the capacity to monitor suspicious betting activity and effectively combat match-fixing.
Meanwhile, Svenska Spel has declared that it will no longer accept wagers on Swedish football team Syrianska FC in the near future, following concerns that the team may be involved in match-fixing.
Dan Kohonen, Svenska Spel’s head of sports betting and gaming security, explained: “Svenska Spel is taking a preventative approach to ensure that the betting market it offers has the highest standards of safety and integrity. We are excluding this team from our offerings for a number of reasons.”
We may decide to decline wagers on a squad if we possess knowledge regarding their financial standing, legal matters, or athletic affiliations.”
Sign up for the iGaming news newsletter.
