EC to co-fund anti-match-fixing campaign
Commission commits to maximum grant of 231,741 towards RGA and EGBA-backed campaign aimed at educating sportspeople about impact of match-fixing.
The European Commission has agreed to co-fund a campaign backed by the egaming industry aimed at educating sportspeople about match-fixing.
Educating European Elite Athletes about Match Fixing, which is supported by lobby groups the Remote Gambling Association (RGA), the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) and the European Sports Security Association (ESSA), also has the backing of 25 sporting groups including the French and Spanish footballers’ associations.
The 18-month programme, coordinated by the European Elite Athletes Association, will receive a total budget of 500,000, of which 46% (231,741) is to come from the European Commission, and will see former professional sportspeople educate 15,000 young athletes in 13 countries and at least 10 sports about rules regarding betting and match-fixing.
EGBA secretary general Sigrid Ligné, who co-founded the initiative, said: “The EGBA was a pioneer of this project back in 2010 with EU Athletes and as the main private financial partner we are delighted that the Commission’s co-funding is endorsing our work done over those last two years.”
RGA chief executive Clive Hawkswood added: “When the RGA and our members first funded the UK Professional Players Federation betting education programme in February 2010, it was a new concept, but one we felt could play a significant role in the fight against potential match fixing. With that experience we were glad to support the EU Athletes bid for funding so that comparable training will be made available across Europe.”
The announcement of the 1 January launch of the campaign comes as an increasing number of operators partnering with the FIFA Early Warning System to tackle suspicious football betting, with Bodog88 joining Samvo and mybet as those to have signed up.