The Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) is ramping up efforts to fight back against fraud in the gambling sector by joining betting research service SIGMA.
Through this new partnership, the RFEF and SIGMA will tap into data to trace suspicious betting patterns and corruption of sports in Spain.
The data will also be used in relation to the possession of professional sports licences, for players, coaches, etc., which will be able to detect if these licence holders are in suspicion of any betting fraudulent activity of Spanish sports.
Pedro Rocha, President of the RFEF Management Committee, stated that football – as ‘the example for society that it is’ – must fight against everything that distorts the competition and its sporting spirit.
“To be a true example, we must ensure equal opportunities, the safety and protection of all those who play the game and, of course, its cleanliness,” he continued.
“Working against illegal sports betting means protecting our football and taking care of its cleanliness, continuing to provide transparency and to collaborate with the relevant institutions and security forces.”
The partnership with SIGMA comes after RFEF placed further emphasis on anti-fraud sports betting through an agreement with the Directorate General for the Regulation of Gambling (DJOG).
The written agreement highlights how such activities ‘undermine the interests of participants and operators in this sector, and constitute one of the greatest threats to sport’.
Meanwhile, Mikel Arana, Director General of the DGOJ, thanked the RFEF for its commitment to clean betting, and emphasised the importance of the football world representing the true values of sport.
He also emphasised the ‘firm will’ of the DGOJ to continue its work in the prosecution of illegal rigging of sports events, and its intention to incorporate new players into the global betting market investigation service to improve its efficiency and strength.
