“Match fixing is getting bigger and bigger”

What current trends are observed in the area of match-fixing in sports? Are there certain patterns that can be identified at an early stage?

Match fixing is getting bigger and bigger unfortunately in last period and this is due to crazy expansion of the offer. Mostly of match fixing episodes happens in live betting and in last period, overall in some specific sports (table tennis) are a lot of fixings that aren’t detectable trough movements of odds but just with specific information coming from bookmakers.

What techniques and tools are most frequently used by analysts to detect potentially fixed matches? Do “unusual” betting odds movements often indicate result manipulation?

Observation of the odds and specific information coming from different stakeholders are the most common “keys” to detect match fixing. Movement of odds that don’t have kind of logic are the clearest example of match fixing trial. Obviously, every movement must be analyzed carefully, so to exclude unusual movements that happen for a regular reason.

But normally in mostly of the case abnormal movements happen because match fixing trial running on. What is important to underline that even if match trial is not successful for ordinary and sport law, it’s in any case a breach of law.

What are the main challenges in counteracting match-fixing?

As I said, match fixing is getting bigger and bigger and the problem is that it looks no one is interested about it. Expansion of the offer, lack of will and lack of knowledge are the perfect environment for the growth of match fixing. Huge problem is that in last period, match fixing is affecting category is affecting categories as Women and Youth that are particularly vulnerable.

In which leagues or regions of the world is the issue of match-fixing most prominent, and why?

South America, with Argentina leading in this period and as I said before: women, youths and minor league in general. Less is the value of the competition, easier is to fix the match.
We had a lot of cases in the summer in Finland, that has a very low corruption index, but after analyzing the squad of the teams involved we can see that mostly of the players were coming from Ukraine or Brazil.

So actually no one place can be considered at zero risk on match fixing, it can happen everywhere because all matches are offered. Couple of days ago we had on the same day episodes in Russia, Ukraine, Israel and Palestine, four countries involved in war and where match fixing doesn’t stop during the war.

Are there specific sports more susceptible to manipulation? If so, why?

Football is the most common, as it’s the most frequently bet on, and most of the matches offered for betting belong to football. Easiest sports to fix are individual one because it’s enough one person to fix it.

Tennis and table tennis are at huge risk of manipulation considering also a lot of new “commercial competition offered” where play not professional players. The situation with tennis can get really dramatic with introduction of micro bets.

What sanctions do you consider the most effective in combating match-fixing? Do the existing penalties deter potential offenders?

I speak from my experience, and the only truly effective weapon we have in the fight against match-fixing is the reduction of the offer, regulating data, and stopping live betting in case of unusual patterns. Players in every sport care only about effective checks; obviously, education and sanctions are a deterrent, but they can’t work if they aren’t matched with independent monitors and a data-regulated market.

We need to work to prevent match-fixing, not to punish players after it happens. It would be enough to stop offering bets on a player or a team after the first unusual movement, and the situation would already be much better.

What preventive measures can clubs and sports federations themselves take to prevent match-fixing at the level of players and coaching staff?

Independent monitoring and a data-regulated market with proper compensation for clubs and federations ensure that integrity is no longer a cost. The system I was creating in Ukraine showed that it was possible to defeat match-fixing with a few simple points. Most federations have no knowledge on this topic and prefer to coexist with the problem rather than face it properly.

In your opinion, does betting truly erode the values of sports, or is there a way to regulate it so both sectors can function without harm?

Betting is a fundamental part of sports. We can’t simply cancel betting, as it provides significant economic support to sports. But we need to find a balance and set limits; betting will survive even without offering, for example, the 5th division of the Algerian championship.

More rules, fair compensation for players, clubs, and federations in the data sector (currently, except for some major leagues, they receive nothing), and knowledge and skills in tackling the issue are essential. The risk that match-fixing will consume sports is serious, and we need a prompt response.