UK govt signs anti match-fixing convention
The government signed the Macolin Convention, designed to strengthen its commitment to tackle match-fixing in sport.
UK.- The Minister for Sports and Civil Society Mims Davies, along with Gabriella Battaini Dragoni, Council of Europe Deputy Secretary General, signed the Council of Europe Convention on the Manipulation of Sports Competitions (Macolin Convention), which aims to prevent, detect and punish match-fixing in sports.
The Convention is currently the only treaty in Europe aiming to fight manipulation of sports competition, and it encourages sports organizations and competition organisers to put appropriate measures in place in order to prevent match-fixing.
The Minister highlighted the work of the UK Gambling Commission when it comes to match-fixing and the Sports Betting Integrity Forum. “Match-fixing is a real threat to the integrity of sport. It is a crime that robs spectators of the pleasure of watching a contest that they can trust. While I’m confident that we have a robust system in place to prevent match-fixing, we cannot be complacent. It is a cross-border issue, and only through a coordinated international effort can we mitigate the risks,” said Davies.
Deputy Secretary General Gabriella Battaini Dragoni said: “I warmly welcome today the United Kingdom’s signature of the Council of Europe Convention on the Manipulation of Sports Competitions. This treaty is the only international legally-binding instrument against match-fixing, illegal betting, bad governance, insider information, conflicts of interests and the use of clubs as shell companies. This is a clear commitment by the United Kingdom to secure integrity in sport through our convention.”
Richard Watson, Gambling Commission Executive Director for Enforcement and Intelligence, said: “We are pleased that the government has signed the Convention. It demonstrates our commitment to international collaboration in the fight against the manipulation of sports competitions and to protecting the integrity of both sport and sports betting in Great Britain.”
