Spanish authorities will open an investigation into players suspected of betting on the outcome of matches, the country's football federation (RFEF) said on their website (www.rfef.es) on Tuesday.
This month German police uncovered what European football's governing body UEFA described as the biggest match-fixing scandal on the continent.
"UEFA, through an international investigation into European football, alerted the RFEF of the existence of infractions committed by sportsmen who had betted on the outcome of matches they were playing in, and others," the RFEF said.
Initial enquiries have led to the federation alerting the state prosecutor as some of the activities could be classed as criminal offences.
Two weeks ago, German police said they had dismantled a gang with more than 200 suspected members operating in nine European leagues.
Police in Germany, Britain, Austria and Switzerland staged simultaneous raids arresting 15 people in Germany and two in Switzerland.
The gang is suspected of having paid off referees, players and officials to win at least 10 million euros (9.1 million pounds), with officials speculating this to be the tip of the iceberg only.
Bwin crowned EGR Operator of the Year 2009
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Bwin
Bwin has won Operator Of The Year at the EGR Awards 2009, the top trophy at the online gaming sectors' industry awards.
The Austrian gaming and betting giant beat off strong competition from rivals including Bet365, PartyGaming and Betfair to land the industry’s top prize, which was presented at London's Old Billingsgate Market last night on the first night of EGR Live, eGaming Review's two-day conference and exhibition for operators.
Collecting the award, Bwin UK country manager Nic Wenn said: ”It's great that Bwin has won this award after ten years. I think Bwin have carried on doing wht Bwin have been doing, leading the way in opening new territories in Europe and leading the technological advance in our industry."
Bwin was shortlisted on the strength of its scale and reach. The company also topped eGaming Review’s Power 50 leading operators for the second year running in 2009 and acquired the leading Italian poker site Gioco Digitale to make it one of the front runners in Italian gaming space.
Judges praised the company for its ‘consistency, leadership, scale, the strength of the brand, for promoting responsible gaming, and for showing continued, consisted leadership.’
UK online bookmaker Bet365 was shortlisted thanks to its huge turnover and for being one the major players in online betting.
Betclick has been one of the major industry growth stories of recent years. The company and its parent group Mangas Gaming has become one of the major players in egaming in just under four years and has major plans.
Betfair, which won UK Sports Betting Operator of the Year, made the list for having changed the face of betting in the past 10 years and has also recorded stellar growth in 2008-09 and has made a move in the US market.
PartyGaming has signed major B2B deals this year and has serious intentions of returning to the highly lucrative US market should it ever regulate.
William Hill Online has effected a major turnaround this year thanks to the Playtech and Orbis deals signed at the tail end of 2008. The company is sure to be a strong contender at future awards events.
The Austrian gaming and betting giant beat off strong competition from rivals including Bet365, PartyGaming and Betfair to land the industry’s top prize, which was presented at London's Old Billingsgate Market last night on the first night of EGR Live, eGaming Review's two-day conference and exhibition for operators.
Collecting the award, Bwin UK country manager Nic Wenn said: ”It's great that Bwin has won this award after ten years. I think Bwin have carried on doing wht Bwin have been doing, leading the way in opening new territories in Europe and leading the technological advance in our industry."
Bwin was shortlisted on the strength of its scale and reach. The company also topped eGaming Review’s Power 50 leading operators for the second year running in 2009 and acquired the leading Italian poker site Gioco Digitale to make it one of the front runners in Italian gaming space.
Judges praised the company for its ‘consistency, leadership, scale, the strength of the brand, for promoting responsible gaming, and for showing continued, consisted leadership.’
UK online bookmaker Bet365 was shortlisted thanks to its huge turnover and for being one the major players in online betting.
Betclick has been one of the major industry growth stories of recent years. The company and its parent group Mangas Gaming has become one of the major players in egaming in just under four years and has major plans.
Betfair, which won UK Sports Betting Operator of the Year, made the list for having changed the face of betting in the past 10 years and has also recorded stellar growth in 2008-09 and has made a move in the US market.
PartyGaming has signed major B2B deals this year and has serious intentions of returning to the highly lucrative US market should it ever regulate.
William Hill Online has effected a major turnaround this year thanks to the Playtech and Orbis deals signed at the tail end of 2008. The company is sure to be a strong contender at future awards events.
Ukrainian ref linked with fixing probe - UEFA declines to comment
Europe's ruling football body UEFA on Tuesday did not want to confirm a report that Ukrainian referee Oleg Oriekhov has been suspended in connection with a match-fixing scheme on the continent. German Der Spiegel news magzine said on its website on Monday that UEFA suspended Oriekhov and that he was at the UEFA headquarters in Switzerland for a hearing over allegedly having contact with a prominent suspect in the case.
"UEFA cannot confirm and does not wish to make any further comment on this, while the investigation is still going on," said a statement to the German Press Agency dpa. Spiegel Online said that Oriekhov admitted to UEFA anti-corruption officials that he was in contact with the man who arrested among others two weeks ago.
The man in question is allegedly a senior figure in the betting ring for the prosecution in Bochum, Germany, which is leading the investigation.
Spiegel Online also said that Oriekhov dismissed claims he manipulated a Europa League match in early November. The 42-year-old officiated the 3-1 victory of Swiss club Basel against Bulgaria's CSKA Sofia on November 5 in group E.
The UEFA said last week it was probing six Europa League and One Champions league qualifiers in July and August involving five clubs from four countries: KF Tirana (Albania) KS Vilaznia (both Albania), FC Dinaburg (Latvia), NK IB Llubljana (Slovenia) and Budapest club Honved (Hungary).
The UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino also said that UEFA was probing the possible involvement of three referees and another person connected to UEFA in the match fixing scheme.
Bochum prosecutors said two weeks ago that they are probing some 200 matches in nine domestic leagues. Seventeen arrests have been carried out, 15 alone in Germany, including a Croatian man who was convicted in a German 2005 fixing affair around referee Robert Hoyzer.
Prosecutors say that Germany-based betting rings are suspected of bribing players, coaches, referees and other officials to fix matches. They are said to have won more than 10 million euros through these schemes.
Lawyers later said that players were intimidated and that cooks in hotels and team doctors were given sedatives to knock players out. The betting ring allegedly also has a link to Asia and other sports like basketball and tennis may also be affected.
Players in lower German football leagues have been suspended, including SC Verl captain Patrick Neumann, who according to his lawyer has gone into hiding fearing repercussions from the betting ring.
"Patrick panicked and became afraid. He can identify the men who made contact with him. This time not only bribes were used, but intimidation and violence as well," lawyer Lutz Klose told the Koelner Stadtanzeiger paper.
"UEFA cannot confirm and does not wish to make any further comment on this, while the investigation is still going on," said a statement to the German Press Agency dpa. Spiegel Online said that Oriekhov admitted to UEFA anti-corruption officials that he was in contact with the man who arrested among others two weeks ago.
The man in question is allegedly a senior figure in the betting ring for the prosecution in Bochum, Germany, which is leading the investigation.
The UEFA said last week it was probing six Europa League and One Champions league qualifiers in July and August involving five clubs from four countries: KF Tirana (Albania) KS Vilaznia (both Albania), FC Dinaburg (Latvia), NK IB Llubljana (Slovenia) and Budapest club Honved (Hungary).
The UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino also said that UEFA was probing the possible involvement of three referees and another person connected to UEFA in the match fixing scheme.
Bochum prosecutors said two weeks ago that they are probing some 200 matches in nine domestic leagues. Seventeen arrests have been carried out, 15 alone in Germany, including a Croatian man who was convicted in a German 2005 fixing affair around referee Robert Hoyzer.
Prosecutors say that Germany-based betting rings are suspected of bribing players, coaches, referees and other officials to fix matches. They are said to have won more than 10 million euros through these schemes.
Lawyers later said that players were intimidated and that cooks in hotels and team doctors were given sedatives to knock players out. The betting ring allegedly also has a link to Asia and other sports like basketball and tennis may also be affected.
Players in lower German football leagues have been suspended, including SC Verl captain Patrick Neumann, who according to his lawyer has gone into hiding fearing repercussions from the betting ring.
"Patrick panicked and became afraid. He can identify the men who made contact with him. This time not only bribes were used, but intimidation and violence as well," lawyer Lutz Klose told the Koelner Stadtanzeiger paper.
FIFA warns on illegal betting
FIFA has warned South Africans not to get involved in illegal betting syndicates, mostly from Asia, that are expected to descend on the country en masse in the run-up to the World Cup.
FIFA says the multibillion-dollar industry is controlled by organised criminals who engage in loan-sharking and use intimidation and violence to collect debts.
And while illegal betting is not as big in South Africa as it is in Europe and the Far East, SA Football Association boss Kirsten Nematandani has warned local referees and premier league teams to be vigilant.
He said Safa was already investigating several claims of match-fixing in the PSL and had sent all premier league referees for lie-detector tests. A report was due soon, he said.
"I can't say much more about the claims but there are a number of allegations being investigated. We have to stay vigilant and continue to watch out for signs of match-fixing."
FIFA president Sepp Blatter will hold an extraordinary general meeting in Cape Town on Wednesday. An ongoing investigation into match-fixing in Europe will be discussed.
Blatter said at the opening of the Soccerex business conference in Johannesburg on Monday that the economic crisis had resulted in some resorting to match-fixing.
"There is cheating, violence, doping, illegal betting and many other problems in the game," said Blatter.
FIFA had asked Early Warning System (EWS) in Switzerland to keep Asian crime syndicates and other gambling mafias around the world from fixing matches, he said.
EWS started monitoring the preliminary competition of the World Cup in 2007 and is now monitoring all FIFA competitions.
EWS spokesman Wolfgang Feldner said Africa's sports betting share on the world sports betting market was about one percent.
"Based on the estimation that the world-wide turnover for sports betting is over $300 billion (R2 219 billion) a year, we know there is an important share in illegal betting in this amount, particularly in the Asian market," he said.
"We cannot make statements or estimations about the illegal sports-betting market in South Africa in particular, but are monitoring the world-wide market," he said.
Interpol secretary-general Ronald Noble said in a 2008 report on illegal betting and organised crime that 430 people had been arrested and 272 underground gambling dens - handling $650m in illegal bets - had been shut down.
He said gambling on soccer matches might seem as harmless as placing a small bet on your favourite team but these illegal operations were often controlled by organised criminals who frequently engaged in loan-sharking and used intimidation and violence to collect debts.
"If that doesn't work, they force their desperate, indebted victims into drug smuggling, and the family members of victims into prostitution," said Noble.
"One must remember that organised crime never loses money in gambling operations - one way or another, they make a profit."
From 2003 to 2005, police in Hong Kong had seized more than $10m in cash and betting slips related to illegal soccer gambling.
Noble said that while it was difficult to determine the exact amount of money involved in the match-fixing, European football governing body UEFA had claimed that an overseas syndicate had made $5-million on one championship match alone in July 2007.
FIFA says the multibillion-dollar industry is controlled by organised criminals who engage in loan-sharking and use intimidation and violence to collect debts.
And while illegal betting is not as big in South Africa as it is in Europe and the Far East, SA Football Association boss Kirsten Nematandani has warned local referees and premier league teams to be vigilant.
He said Safa was already investigating several claims of match-fixing in the PSL and had sent all premier league referees for lie-detector tests. A report was due soon, he said.
"I can't say much more about the claims but there are a number of allegations being investigated. We have to stay vigilant and continue to watch out for signs of match-fixing."
FIFA president Sepp Blatter will hold an extraordinary general meeting in Cape Town on Wednesday. An ongoing investigation into match-fixing in Europe will be discussed.
Blatter said at the opening of the Soccerex business conference in Johannesburg on Monday that the economic crisis had resulted in some resorting to match-fixing.
"There is cheating, violence, doping, illegal betting and many other problems in the game," said Blatter.
FIFA had asked Early Warning System (EWS) in Switzerland to keep Asian crime syndicates and other gambling mafias around the world from fixing matches, he said.
EWS started monitoring the preliminary competition of the World Cup in 2007 and is now monitoring all FIFA competitions.
EWS spokesman Wolfgang Feldner said Africa's sports betting share on the world sports betting market was about one percent.
"Based on the estimation that the world-wide turnover for sports betting is over $300 billion (R2 219 billion) a year, we know there is an important share in illegal betting in this amount, particularly in the Asian market," he said.
"We cannot make statements or estimations about the illegal sports-betting market in South Africa in particular, but are monitoring the world-wide market," he said.
Interpol secretary-general Ronald Noble said in a 2008 report on illegal betting and organised crime that 430 people had been arrested and 272 underground gambling dens - handling $650m in illegal bets - had been shut down.
He said gambling on soccer matches might seem as harmless as placing a small bet on your favourite team but these illegal operations were often controlled by organised criminals who frequently engaged in loan-sharking and used intimidation and violence to collect debts.
"If that doesn't work, they force their desperate, indebted victims into drug smuggling, and the family members of victims into prostitution," said Noble.
"One must remember that organised crime never loses money in gambling operations - one way or another, they make a profit."
From 2003 to 2005, police in Hong Kong had seized more than $10m in cash and betting slips related to illegal soccer gambling.
Noble said that while it was difficult to determine the exact amount of money involved in the match-fixing, European football governing body UEFA had claimed that an overseas syndicate had made $5-million on one championship match alone in July 2007.
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December 01, 2009
UEFA adds more games to match-fixing investigation
Following an emergency meeting at UEFA headquarters in Switzerland, UEFA General Secretary Gianni Infantino said Wednesday that a further seven European club competitions are now under investigation for suspected match-fixing involving teams from Albania, Austria, Hungary, Israel, Latvia, Norway, Slovenia and Turkey.
Infantino said UEFA was launching its own investigation into three referees and one other individual connected to UEFA in relation to the match-fixing allegations, but dismissed widespread media reports that any administrative staff at UEFA were under suspicion.
The latest matches to fall under investigation include the Champions League second round qualifier between KF Tirana of Albania and Stabæk IF of Norway, as well as two Europa League third round qualifiers and four second round qualifiers involving Fenerbahçe SK, Budapest Honvéd FC, NK IB Ljubljana, FC Metalurh Donetsk, SK Rapid Wien, KS Vllaznia, Bnei Yehuda Tel-Aviv FC and FC Dinaburg.
"UEFA wishes to stress that it has been co-operating fully with the German police and authorities on the case and indeed, following a request from the German police for information on a number of matches, UEFA was able to assist thanks to its Betting Fraud Detection System that has been monitoring all UEFA competitions and European national league first and second-division matches for irregular betting patterns since July 2009,” said UEFA General Secretary, Gianni Infantino.
"UEFA will file criminal complaints, together with the relevant national associations, as soon as possible against clubs, officials and/or players in those countries concerned. We have full trust in our national associations to deal with the cases related to their national competitions and will continue to provide them with our full co-operation and assistance," he said.
Infantino admitted that the organisation was ill equipped to tackle the problem of organised crime and was dependent on the work being carried out by public authorities in a number of countries, but said that by working together as a team, they could “eradicate this cancer altogether and kick it out of football”.
He also called on any players or officials with knowledge of the incidents to come forward and speak to either UEFA, the national associations or football leagues.
Infantino said UEFA was launching its own investigation into three referees and one other individual connected to UEFA in relation to the match-fixing allegations, but dismissed widespread media reports that any administrative staff at UEFA were under suspicion.
The latest matches to fall under investigation include the Champions League second round qualifier between KF Tirana of Albania and Stabæk IF of Norway, as well as two Europa League third round qualifiers and four second round qualifiers involving Fenerbahçe SK, Budapest Honvéd FC, NK IB Ljubljana, FC Metalurh Donetsk, SK Rapid Wien, KS Vllaznia, Bnei Yehuda Tel-Aviv FC and FC Dinaburg.
"UEFA wishes to stress that it has been co-operating fully with the German police and authorities on the case and indeed, following a request from the German police for information on a number of matches, UEFA was able to assist thanks to its Betting Fraud Detection System that has been monitoring all UEFA competitions and European national league first and second-division matches for irregular betting patterns since July 2009,” said UEFA General Secretary, Gianni Infantino.
"UEFA will file criminal complaints, together with the relevant national associations, as soon as possible against clubs, officials and/or players in those countries concerned. We have full trust in our national associations to deal with the cases related to their national competitions and will continue to provide them with our full co-operation and assistance," he said.
Infantino admitted that the organisation was ill equipped to tackle the problem of organised crime and was dependent on the work being carried out by public authorities in a number of countries, but said that by working together as a team, they could “eradicate this cancer altogether and kick it out of football”.
He also called on any players or officials with knowledge of the incidents to come forward and speak to either UEFA, the national associations or football leagues.
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November 27, 2009
UEFA names and shames in fixing probe
UEFA have confirmed they are continuing investigations into seven European fixtures suspected in a massive match-fixing operation.
The case was first brought to light by the authorities in Germany, but UEFA has now opened its own investigation.
Following meetings on Wednesday with nine national football associations, Europe's governing body has named five clubs as being those under scrutiny.
The clubs are KF Tirana and KS Vllaznia of Albania, FC Dinaburg of Latvia, NK IB Ljubljana of Slovenia, and Budapest Honved of Hungary.
Seven matches, one a Champions League qualifier and the other six Europa League qualifiers, all played between July 16 and August 6, are under investigation.
In a lengthy statement, UEFA added it was also looking into the roles of three referees and one other official in the case.
The case was first brought to light by the authorities in Germany, but UEFA has now opened its own investigation.
Following meetings on Wednesday with nine national football associations, Europe's governing body has named five clubs as being those under scrutiny.
The clubs are KF Tirana and KS Vllaznia of Albania, FC Dinaburg of Latvia, NK IB Ljubljana of Slovenia, and Budapest Honved of Hungary.
Seven matches, one a Champions League qualifier and the other six Europa League qualifiers, all played between July 16 and August 6, are under investigation.
In a lengthy statement, UEFA added it was also looking into the roles of three referees and one other official in the case.
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comments
November 25, 2009
Sportingbet France launch in doubt
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France,
Sportingbet
Sportingbet has shelved its plan to launch in France due to continued uncertainty about market conditions in that soon-to-be regulated market.
The operator, which today announced first quarter net gaming revenue up 26%, last month announced its intention to launch in France when regulation allows.
Chief executive Andrew McIver said the plan to apply for a French licence had been postponed pending the outcome of French parliamentary debate to determine the shape of gaming regulation: “We are now not sure what we’re not sure what we’re going to do. The situation has changed so many times that we still can’t be sure what the best course for us to take is.
“I suspect that to offer an off-shore model into France could be seen as aggressive by the French authorities and it could end up as a case of warfare. And that could become difficult, as Petter Nylander found out in Holland.”
McIver was referring to the arrest of Unibet chief executive Petter Nylander’s arrest in the Netherlands under a French warrant in 2007.
Draft laws to regulate the French market have experienced major changes in recent months, such as the inclusion of an amendment to force operators to shut down the accounts of their French players when the bill regulating online gaming is voted through early next year.
The amendment poses a major threat for operators with a large market share in the country such as Betclick, Bwin and Unibet, who will only be able to open new French player accounts once they are licensed five to six months later. It has been seen by some operators as a protectionist move allowing French monopolies Francais Des Jeux (FDJ) and Pari Mutuel Urbain (PMU) to boost their online customer bases at the expense rivals.
However McIver added that the French market accounts for only 3% of Sportingbet’s net gaming revenue, “so we could even benefit from a moratorium” [in the same way the French monopolies will].
Despite the challenges, several egaming companies have already announced their intention to launch in France, including Game Account, Playtech, mobile specialist Probability and Eurosport gaming operator SPS Betting.
Other operators have instead opted for business-to-business (B2B) ties, including Paddy Power, which signed a landmark deal with PMU this month, and Partygaming, which is seeking French B2B ties.
The operator, which today announced first quarter net gaming revenue up 26%, last month announced its intention to launch in France when regulation allows.
Chief executive Andrew McIver said the plan to apply for a French licence had been postponed pending the outcome of French parliamentary debate to determine the shape of gaming regulation: “We are now not sure what we’re not sure what we’re going to do. The situation has changed so many times that we still can’t be sure what the best course for us to take is.
“I suspect that to offer an off-shore model into France could be seen as aggressive by the French authorities and it could end up as a case of warfare. And that could become difficult, as Petter Nylander found out in Holland.”
McIver was referring to the arrest of Unibet chief executive Petter Nylander’s arrest in the Netherlands under a French warrant in 2007.
Draft laws to regulate the French market have experienced major changes in recent months, such as the inclusion of an amendment to force operators to shut down the accounts of their French players when the bill regulating online gaming is voted through early next year.
The amendment poses a major threat for operators with a large market share in the country such as Betclick, Bwin and Unibet, who will only be able to open new French player accounts once they are licensed five to six months later. It has been seen by some operators as a protectionist move allowing French monopolies Francais Des Jeux (FDJ) and Pari Mutuel Urbain (PMU) to boost their online customer bases at the expense rivals.
However McIver added that the French market accounts for only 3% of Sportingbet’s net gaming revenue, “so we could even benefit from a moratorium” [in the same way the French monopolies will].
Despite the challenges, several egaming companies have already announced their intention to launch in France, including Game Account, Playtech, mobile specialist Probability and Eurosport gaming operator SPS Betting.
Other operators have instead opted for business-to-business (B2B) ties, including Paddy Power, which signed a landmark deal with PMU this month, and Partygaming, which is seeking French B2B ties.
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