Spain’s Betting Fraud Commission Approves an Action Plan

The National Commission to Combat the Manipulation of Sports Competitions and Betting Fraud in Spain has approved a national plan which sets out a series of measures to be implemented until the end of 2021 to effectively combat fraud and eradicate it from sport.

The national commission has been created by the Government in 2019 with the objective to develop action plans, recommendations or diagnoses to detect, prevent and combat illegal actions in the field of sports competitions and fraud in betting.

Four Main Functions

The body that features representatives from the Directorate General for the Regulation of Gambling (DGOJ), the National Police, the Civil Guard, the Higher Sports Council, as well as from the sports competitions and the betting sector in the country, has come up with an action plan built around the commission’s four main pillars, analysis and diagnosis, disclosure and awareness, control and monitoring, and study of current operations and regulations.

“The increasing relevance and constant evolution of the manipulation of sports competitions and betting fraud demonstrate the need to have an effective approach in the fight against this practice.”

National Commission to Combat the Manipulation of Sports Competitions and Betting Fraud

Regarding the area of analysis and diagnosis, the commission’s plan focuses on the need to outline the dangers posed by corruption in sports and raise the general level of professional and public awareness. Manipulation of sports competitions and corruption-related fraud is one of the greatest threats to sport, undermining its essential values and pushing away fans and followers who rely on the fairness of the game.

In terms of disclosure and awareness, the fraud-combatting plan aims to improve awareness among all participants in sports, players, athletes, coaches and other staff, about the legal framework related to sports betting fraud, outlining the risks and threats posed.

The national commission aims to fulfill its control and monitoring function by improving the monitoring and follow-up activities that are currently in place, emphasizing the need for information sharing and collaboration between the authorities combatting fraud in sports betting.

With regards to the fourth main pillar of the commission, the study of current regulations and operations, the action plan its members approved seeks to take into account the effectiveness of the legal framework regarding any new developments, to be able to respond to changing approaches from those attempting betting fraud. Given the rate of change regarding technology advancements, the commission noted as key the need for constant reviews and updates of the regulation framework.

In July, the DGOJ reported the first quarter financial results from gambling, where sports betting contributed the most to the overall results, €110.6 million, 8.7% year-on-year growth, and 50.8% of the whole quarterly total. Fixed-odds betting attributed to a 13.1% growth, while live betting generated €61.3 million, 4% up year-on-year.