Sweden to join European match-fixing treaty
The country will join the Macolin Convention “as soon as possible”.
Sweden.- The minister for financial markets Niklas Wykman and minister for health and social affairs Jakob Forssmed have announced that Sweden will join the Macolin Convention. The 2014 treaty, officially named the Convention on the Manipulation of Sports Competitions, sets out requirements for EU states to work with sporting bodies and betting operators.
The convention includes a common legal framework for international cooperation against sports manipulation. Sweden’s previous government had been minded to wait until the convention becomes European law before joining. However, EU approval is taking time. Malta is opposing the measure because the convention’s definition of illegal gambling would confirm that many MGA-licensed operators are operating against EU law.
The Swedish ministers told local media: “In the years that have passed since the convention was drawn up, most other EU countries have chosen to join on their own. Sweden should have done that too.”
Patrik Hofbauer, chief executive of the state-owned former gambling operator Svenska Spel, has voiced support for the decision, calling it an “important and necessary step” against match fixing.
He said: “That Sweden plans to sign the Convention is a very positive message and something that we at Svenska Spel have persistently fought for ever since the convention was adopted.”
He also criticised the Swedish gambling regulator’s anti-match fixing body, the Council against Match-Fixing, for “functioning more like a discussion club than a task force”.
He added: “The convention includes clear descriptions of the structures and commitments that are required of all parties, ensuring the right structures and legal conditions for effective cooperation against corruption. Establishing a national platform that can act forcefully in the fight against match-fixing is a very important part of the convention.”
