Swedish gambling regulator welcomes decision to join Macolin Convention
Spelinspektionen’s director general says the move would strengthen Sweden’s work against match-fixing.
Sweden.- The Swedish gambling regulator Spelinspektionen has welcomed the government’s decision to propose that the country sign the Macolin Convention on the Manipulation of Sports Competitions. It says the move will enhance the country’s work against match fixing.
Adopted by the Council of Europe in 2014, the Macolin Convention is intended as a commitment to protect the integrity and ethics of sports against the potential manipulation of results. It came into force in 2019 and currently has 34 signatories: 32 European member states plus Australia and Morocco. It has been ratified by France, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Lithuania, Norway, Portugal, the Republic of Moldova, Switzerland and Ukraine.
Sweden’s Ministry of Social Affairs has said that the country meets the requirements to join the convention without the need for any constitutional amendments to ratify its framework. That would allow accession without requiring parliamentary approval.
Spelinspektionen’s director general Camilla Rosenberg said: “The Swedish Gaming Authority endorses and welcomes the government’s proposal that Sweden should sign and ratify the Macolin Convention as soon as possible. It would deepen international cooperation and strengthen Sweden’s position in the work against match fixing.”
The Macolin Convention requires authorities to work with sports organisations, betting operators and competition organisers to prevent and identify sports manipulation and outlines a legal framework through which to respond to the issue.
Last month, the Spanish gambling regulator, the DGOJ, announced that Spain had joined the convention. The DGOJ said the convention had been signed between the Council of Europe and Spain’s ambassador and permanent representative on October 17. The convention will come into effect on February 1 2025.
The regulator said in a statement: “This is a fundamental step in the fight against sports manipulation and to safeguard the integrity of sport, placing Spain among the countries pioneering the eradication of this ill.”
