Inside Asian Gaming

INSIDE ASIAN GAMING | December 2013 28 T he positive anti-corruption role that licensed betting operators play was starkly highlighted recently by the decision to ban superstar snooker player Stephen Lee for 12 years for betting- related match-fixing, effectively ending his professional career. The European Sports Security Association has welcomed that decision and the professionalism of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association, which has decided to place much of the evidence leading to its verdict in the public domain. From an examination of that evidence it is difficult to conclude that this case would have ever come to light, let alone resulted in such a judgment, if it wasn’t for the sophisticated security protocols of licensed betting operators. The provision of detailed information regarding types of bets, sizes of wagers, identities of account holders and the detection of suspicious betting patterns proved crucial. This has alsobeen the case in numerous other instances, although there is often no public recognition of it, and the critical role played by betting operators has therefore remained relatively unheralded. Internal sporting procedures are partly to blame in some instances. Integrity vs Commerce — a Tight Match In big-time sports it’s more than the games in danger of being corrupted, writes Khalid Ali, secretary general of the European Sports Security Association In others, the concern is that this is a consequence of poor sports governance involving inadequate rules and sanctions, resulting in it being far too easy for match-fixers to infiltrate sporting circles. What is clear is that many sports could benefit by adopting the approach taken by snooker. The WPBSA has sent a clear and robust message to its participants and those criminal elements who would seek to corrupt its events and defraud betting operators and their consumers. The International Olympic Committee is taking similarly progressive action and is working closely with ESSA to further enhance our already positive cross-sector alliance against the fixers. In other areas, however, it may well be that it benefits the commercial ambitions of some sports for our sector’s important contribution and fiscal investment in anti-corruption measures to remain firmly in the background. The recent lobbying of football, for example, demonstrates just how increasingly intertwined the commercial betting issue is with the integrity one for them. It is a position which is placing ever more obstacles in the way of ensuring that the most effective measures are in place to protect the integrity of the game. IN FOCUS From an examination of the evidence it is difficult to conclude that Stephen Lee’s case would have ever come to light if it wasn’t for the sophisticated security protocols of licensed betting operators. The provision of detailed information regarding types of bets, sizes of wagers, identities of account holders and the detection of suspicious betting patterns proved crucial.