Spain launches anti-match fixing commission
Regulator announces new data sharing platform and working groups
Spain has launched its first national commission aimed at combatting so-called match-fixing and betting fraud in the Spanish licensed online sports betting market.
A plenary meeting constituting the organisation was held at the offices of the Spanish regulator (DGOJ) last week to agree a schedule of programmes to be launched over the next two years.
The meeting also established three specific working groups aimed at targeted areas of commission activities.
These include analysis and diagnosis, dissemination and awareness and a working group aimed at regulatory and operational studies.
Inaugural members of CONFAD meeting in Spain
As part of increased efforts to combat match-fixing, the DGOJ has also launched its own application ‘SIGMA share’ which allows information to be exchanged between sports betting and horserace betting operators concerning suspicious bets.
The inaugural board of CONFAD is made up of representatives from the DGOJ, Spain’s national police, the Spanish sports council and representatives from Spanish football and tennis governing bodies.
GVC head of regulatory affairs David Foster and bet365’s general director of regulation Sheila Preston have also been appointed to the board, along with representatives from LatAm focused firm Codere and Sportium Group.
Elsewhere, the DGOJ has launched a consultation into a set of responsible gambling guidelines that all Spanish licensed operators would be required to “reasonably guarantee” that Spanish players are protected from gambling-related harm.
In the consultation document, the DGOJ has said it aims to “increase the level of self-protection” afforded by licensed operators to players, which includes the use of tools and options allowing them to gamble in a sustainable way.
As part of this, the regulator aims to promote self-awareness of responsible gambling among players including targeted messaging for new players and messaging which promotes self-reflection during gambling.
Under the proposed standards, all licensed operators would be required to operate a specific webpage for responsible gambling and carry links to gambling-related harm treatment and advice on all pages.
The DGOJ has said it aims to develop a “responsible and healthy game environment” for players going forward. The consultation closes on 20 January.