European Parliament backs EPFL Proposals
The European Parliament adopted on the 15th November 2011 an important Resolution on On-line Gambling, setting out its position and proposals to step up the fight against corruption and match-fixing in sport.
This Resolution encompasses several of the views and proposals the EPFL has been fighting championing for years in this field, such as:
- The need to regulate and discipline the on-line sports market at European level;
- A common definition and a criminalisation of sports fraud across Europe;
- An increased cross-border cooperation between police forces, judicial authorities and the sports movement based on information-sharing procedures and network of contact points to deal with match-fixing;
- The development of education programmes to raise awareness on the risks of match-fixing for the integrity of sport; and
- The recognition of sports betting as a commercial exploitation of sport; and, last but not the least
- A fair financial fair financial return to sports events’ organisers, such as the Leagues, from betting operators for the commercial use of their content and to strengthen the fight against sports fraud.
In line with the European Parliament’s Resolution and in pursuance of its rolling agenda in the field of sports betting, the EPFL has already announced during its last General Assembly (Kiev, 28 August 2011) that it is preparing an additional set of measures in this field to complete its previous three far-reaching impact initiatives (The EPFL Football Betting Manifesto, the EPFL Code of Conduct on Sports Betting Integrity and the EPFL Betting Operators Standards). These additional measures include, among others:
- The draft of recommendations on commercial sponsorship and betting partner relationships between Leagues/ clubs and betting operators;
- The organisation of a list of "Designated Persons" that will be the first contacts for the betting industry for information gathering and whistle-blowing;
- The approval of a list of authorised type of bets and competitions on which bets can be offered;
- A review of various warning systems with a view of recommending a system for its Leagues; and
- The signature of further memorandums of understanding with betting trade associations and individual betting companies with a view of establishing information exchange principles on behalf of the 30 member Leagues.
In a preliminary reaction issued right after the adoption of the Resolution, the EPFL CEO Emanuel Macedo de Medeiros stated: “The EPFL has been at the forefront of the fight against match-fixing and illegal betting for years. The European Parliament’s Resolution, reaffirming their commitment to help sport to preserve the integrity of its competitions and long-term economic viability, rewards our efforts. We now call on the European Commission and Member States to follow on the path traced by the European Parliament”.
