Integrity in sport. It’s an often-used phrase but what implications does it have for the gaming industry?

The president of Sport Accord succinctly put the issue this way: “Integrity in sport is perhaps our most valuable commodity. Fans must believe that what they see on the field of play represents a true test of the competitors’ skills. If they cannot, there is a real risk that they will ignore sport and take sponsors and broadcasters with them. We will all be aware of occasions where results have been affected by outside influences but there are now some big new developments that make tackling match-fixing urgent and very important.”

For those in the sports betting industry, it may be even more critical. With the increasing number of match-fixing scandals that continue to emerge, the sports betting industry will need to be proactive or find themselves in trouble.

The synergistic relationship between sports books and the teams has grown over the past two decades.

Sponsorship of teams, advertising and ‘exclusive sports book’ deals in arenas have become more accepted and have grown in frequency and scope. It’s not unusual to see children walking down the street wearing a sports jersey with a sponsoring sports book’s name emblazoned on it.

But, a backlash began developing this spring that bodes ill for the relationship. The English Football Association expanded its ban on players gambling on just events they’re involved in to any sort of betting on football.

Some see this as the ‘tipping point’ that could begin to see sport distance itself from gambling, as has happened with tobacco and alcohol.

Some in the industry have, therefore, expressed concern that this backlash could broaden to consumers beginning to wonder why it’s OK for them to bet and not those involved with the sport.

So, how does the industry need to handle this? Some operators, like Betfair, have been leaders in developing memorandums of understanding, allowing for sharing of information.

Data on unusual betting patterns and transactional data will be shared if there are ‘red flags’ which arise during the betting. This is a good relationship that should be fostered and expanded. But is it enough?

Education of the industry on match-fixing and debate on how best to work together on this issue is critical if the relationship is to survive. Declan Hill, the noted investigative journalist, documentary-maker and author of The Fix, will be speaking at the Malta iGaming Seminar on November 12 (maltaigamingseminar.com).

His keynote speech: ‘How to fix a football match: tactics, methods and means’ will offer an insider’s look at how the fixers really operate from videos of fixers speaking about their work.

He will also address the myths on fixing that are prominent in the gambling world. While gambling operators think they can track fixes, Hill is quick to point out that they only see the unsuccessful ones detected in the unusual odds movements. The successful fixes typically evade detection.

Successful plans on how best to attack this problem will only come with debate among the stakeholders. These include the leagues, players, gaming operators and fans who will also be affected if the solutions become more and more punitive.

This debate will follow Hill’s presentation to allow for airing of thoughts on how best to address this growing concern.

So education and debate from those in the sports betting industry will be useful in fully exploring how best the gaming industry and the leagues can work together to make sure that the relationship won’t be shut down.

Without bringing this out into the open and forging ahead with solutions, the sports betting industry risks playing defence as this problem grows.

Starting as owner of a gaming consumer portal, Sue Schneider then launched River City Group, which produced large iGaming events and key industry trade publications, such as iGamingNews.com and Internet Gambling Report.

She currently serves as editor-at-large for Liebert Publications’ Gaming Law Review and Economics.

She is also a partner with the US-based conference www.igamingnorthamerica.com, as well as the Malta iGaming Seminar (www.maltaigamingseminar.com).

The author is a leading expert in internet gaming.