Europol: Global match-fixing hits €120m annually

Global criminal proceeds from betting-related match-fixing reached €120m annually, according to police agency Europol.

In a new report, Europol has estimated the size of the global sports betting market at €1.69bn per year, with football alone making up more than 60% of this market.

Of the global market, 65% of overall betting turnover is processed via Asia-based bookmakers (including both regulated and unregulated operations). A further 21% of overall betting turnover is processed by European bookmakers, with the remaining 14% processed by bookies from the rest of the world.

Europol has estimated that the turnover of regulated betting markets at a global level accounts for just 25% of the total market size.

“Therefore, despite the percentage of fixed matches that is estimated to be fewer than 1% across all sports, high betting turnover results in a multi-million-euro criminal business for organised crime groups worldwide every year,” the report explains.

“The global annual criminal proceeds from betting-related match-fixing are estimated at approximately €120m,” it adds.

This €120m figure is defined as the aggregate net winnings for match-fixers rather than the betting turnover generated on all fixed events. The report contends that football remains the most popular and profitable avenue for organised crime groups (OCGs), due to its prominence and popularity globally.

It cites online betting as a method being used by OCGs to manipulate sporting events, with criminals usually targeting lower-level competitions across different sports.

In tandem with current International Betting Integrity Association estimates, tennis is also listed as one of the most prominent and easiest sports to manipulate due to the limited number of participants and lack of prize money at lower levels.

Efforts to target manipulation of tennis matches have come under the spotlight over recent months, thanks in part to the work of the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU), which has issued fines and suspended individuals from the sport.

However, the report suggests OCGs have exploited the Covid-19 pandemic to manipulate remaining sports matches which were unaffected by the international lockdown and cancellations.

“Although, OCGs involved in match-fixing seem to have adapted to this new situation targeting mostly lower-tier games, youth games and friendly matches, it is highly possible that match-fixers will focus on the few matches being held and put them under greater risk,” the report explains.

In addition, the report highlights instances of so-called ‘ghost matches’ in football during the lockdown with criminal groups’ advertising matches to bookmakers, who then offer markets.

Betgenius was one data supplier caught out by these matches in March, when it supplied the live data for four fraudulent Ukrainian football matches.  The matches were offered by bookmakers including 188BET using a data feed by Betgenius, despite the Ukrainian FA insisting no matches took place due to Covid-19 restrictions.

In those cases the ‘ghost matches’ are advertised on social media, blogs or fake websites and fixers create non-existing line-ups, stats and match outcomes.