Swedish gambling regulator outlines new matchfixing rules

The government has launched a new cooperative framework.

Sweden.- The Swedish gambling regulator Spelinspektionen has outlined new requirements under the government’s new cooperative framework against match-fixing in professional and amateur sports. The regulator’s director general, Camilla Rosenberg, presented the new framework alongside the minister for financial markets Niklas Wykman.

Under the new regime, gambling operators and sports bodies have new duties to report and share data on threats involving match-fixing and sports integrity. They will have to use a cooperative platform for data sharing to flag suspect events and activity. The platform will be supervised by Spelinspektionen, as a new regulatory duty from July 1 of this year.

Wykman said: “Match-fixing enriches gangs at the same time as it harms youth sports, among other things. Athletes should not be pawns in the activities of organised crime. In order to fight crime and protect sports, it is important to stop match-fixing.”

The new duties were approved by the Riksdag in 2023 and added to Sweden’s Gaming Act. They had to be reviewed to ensure compliance with EU data rules.

Spelinspektionen said: “Through expanded opportunities to share information, an overall picture of specific suspicions can be generated based on the compilation of vague suspicions by individual actors. It is therefore of great importance that actors can exchange information with each other.”