Alarming! Matchfixing seems to be on the rise    

Taking a bet on the outcome of a sports match makes it even more exciting. You can of course do this within the family or circle of acquaintances. But an online gamble on a licensed site is also done in no time. That can make the outcome even more fun if you can make a profit. It is then important that the sport remains clean and that you can trust that results will not be manipulated. The online casinos are under control and the sports federations also want to prevent the sport from appearing in a bad light. Where does it go wrong then?

Sports federations are furious

In the Netherlands, the new gambling law came into effect on April 1, 2021, and that was no joke. The Dutch will only be able to legally play at an online casino on October 1, 2021, because the permits will not take effect until then. But there is already a riot with regard to matchfixing in the new law. The sports federations are furious and demand an adjustment. What is going on? The law pays ample attention to matchfixing and any other irregularities. These must be reported to a government body: the FUI. However, these reports remain secret, partly in connection with the law on money laundering and terrorist financing. Sports associations are therefore not told if their sport may be contaminated. Of course, they want to be able to act against this.

Independent observers

There are now a number of independent observers who monitor sports betting (for a fee) and report if strange incidents are observed there. Sportradar Integrity Services is the largest of these. The umbrella sports association has hired this organization to check a large number of matches in 2021 for signals of matchfixing. The same organization reported from previous experience that the number of possible matchfixing cases appears to be increasing. The reason for this seems fairly simple to explain. Professional sports organizations and individual athletes often have to miss a large part of the income for a year. That makes them more vulnerable than before. Experts in this field also believe they recognize a different way of working among criminals involved in matchfixing. Where in the past one or two athletes were bribed, an attempt is now being made to take over an entire sports club through sponsorship. The influence that can be obtained with this is used to bring in players who are under the influence of the “fixers”.

But the control of the sport is also increasingly professional. Organizations such as Sportradar are working on a daily basis to keep gambling interesting. You can safely bet online via the reliable bookmakers in our overview.