European Commission report criticises sports betting right claims

A European Commission (EC) report has warned of practical and legal issues with giving sports organisers the ‘right’ to consent to operators offering bets on an EU-wide basis.

The study, which was commissioned by the European Union’s executive body, was particularly critical of the French sports betting ‘right’ which it said had failed to increase financial distribution to sport or prevent match fixing.

Under the current French model all sports betting operators are required to obtain the consent of the relevant sports bodies in order to offer bets on their events.

Three industry bodies – the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA), European Sports Security Association (ESSA) and the Remote Gambling Association (RGA) ““ all welcomed the findings of the report.

“This very comprehensive study illustrates clearly that a sports betting right cannot act as a safeguard to keep corruption out of sports,” Maarten Haijer, secretary general of the EGBA, said.

“Such right has practical and legal shortfalls, and the regulated betting industry is encouraged to see that no other Member States in the EU have decided to copy the French model,” he added.

The report, conducted by the Dutch Asser Institute and the University of Amsterdam, was commissioned by in January 2013 to study the wider rights of sports organisers in the 28 EU Member States, particularly with relation to sports betting operators.

“We hope that the European Commission will take note of its findings which echo our view that calls for a European wide sports betting right, or indeed a sports betting right of any kind, are commercially driven and have little if anything to do with integrity,” RGA chief executive, Clive Hawkswood, said.

The UK government recently revealed it was considering a sports betting right as it continues to look at alternatives to recently updated horse racing levy.