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Government proposes stronger links with Olympics body to tackle illegal betting


The Government wants to formalise links between the UK's gambling regulator and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to better share information about irregular betting patterns.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has launched a consultation that details its proposals to list the IOC as an accredited organisation that the Gambling Commission can share information with under the terms of the UK Gambling Act. DCMS said that accrediting the IOC would help tackle any betting issues associated with the London 2012 Olympic Games.

"It is primarily proposed that the IOC be added [as an accredited sports governing body] so that any sports betting matters can be actively addressed before, during and after the Games," the DCMS consultation (13-page /137KB PDF) said.

Under the provisions of the Act the Gambling Commission may share information it gathers with accredited organisations if it is to be used for the purposes of a criminal investigation or in criminal proceedings.

The Commission has to judge "whether it is appropriate to share the information" with organisations not accredited under the Act on a "case by case basis", according to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).

Currently there are 16 sports governing bodies accredited for information sharing under the Act, including the Football Associations of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales, the England and Wales Cricket Board and the Professional Golfers' Association.

In addition to the IOC, the DCMS consultation also proposes that six other international sports governing bodies be accredited for information sharing under the terms of the Act. The International Cricket Council (ICC), UEFA and FIFA – which govern European and World football respectively, the International Tennis Federation, World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association and International Rugby Board should all be formally linked with the Gambling Commission to help monitor compliance with UK betting laws, DCMS said.

UK governing bodies covering darts, bowls, squash and motorsport should also be accredited under the Act, the proposals said. DCMS said that it had formed its plans after reviewing Gambling Commission statistics into betting integrity that had raised cases in all the sports. DCMS had also considered the volume of betting on individual sports and whether there were international equivalents of major domestic sports governing bodies that were not currently accredited under the terms of the Gambling Act.

"We anticipate greater interest in these events and appreciate the desire for organisers to have these safeguards in place to ensure sports betting integrity is not compromised," the DCMS consultation said.

"We recognise the benefits in attracting world-class competition in any given sport and appreciate the importance of being able to demonstrate to the relevant international sports governing bodies that we have appropriate safeguards in place to preserve sports integrity in relation to betting in the UK," the consultation said.

The Gambling Commission told OUT-LAW that adding accredited bodies under the terms of the Act made it easier to share information with them. It said it has to consider whether sharing information with non-accredited bodies would help keep crime out of gambling, ensure gambling is conducted fairly and openly and protect children and vulnerable people from harm or exploitation through gambling activities. The Commission's activity is almost entirely governed by these "licensing objectives", it said.

"At the moment the Commission may exchange information with sports governing bodies that do not appear [listed as accredited under the Act], but only following detailed consideration of the extent to which doing so would further the licensing objectives and would not breach existing statutory or legal constraints, including data protection," the Gambling Commission said in a statement.

"So while we can already share information with a body not [listed under the Act], even one with appropriate security and systems, it can be challenging," the Commission said.

"The proposed sports governing bodies that may be added ... will then come under the existing information exchange provision of the Act and should therefore help the investigative process. The provision of information by the Commission to those bodies ... is still conditional upon these parties applying satisfactory information handling procedures and appropriate security controls. The Commission would continue to restrict the exchange of information with those that do not have appropriate information handling procedures, security controls or the ability to be able to act on the information in the furtherance of the licensing objectives," it said.

DCMS said that information provided by the Gambling Commission had helped the already-accredited sports bodies investigate sports betting integrity issues in the past year.

"This assistance has resulted in disciplinary action consisting of fines and suspensions, as well as raising awareness in the respective sports of the need to monitor suspicious betting activity," the consultation said.

DCMS will accept responses to its consultation up until 9 November.

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