LONDON, April 19 (Reuters) - Britain's major sports signed a code of conduct on Wednesday to close the net on betting cheats.
European soccer has been damaged in the last two years by match-fixing
scandals in Germany and Belgium and a police investigation is underway
in Britain into allegations of race-fixing in horse racing.
"Sports betting has changed dramatically in recent years," Sports
Minister Richard Caborn said in a statement. "Advances in technology
and increasing popularity mean there are now more ways to place a bet
than ever before.
"But we can't let a few unscrupulous cheats drag the good name of sport through the mud.
"That's why I'm pleased that from football to snooker, sport now
recognises the importance of working with betting operators and the
authorities to crack down on betting cheats."
The 10 governing
bodies who signed up to the code covered such sports as darts, cricket,
soccer, horse racing, motor sports, greyhound racing, snooker, and
rugby union and league.
Under the code, the bodies must include
provisions in their rules and regulations governing the behaviour of
their members in relation to betting. Their members will be expected to
avoid any conflict of interest.
The bodies will be expected to
work closely with the police, National Criminal Intelligence Service
and the Gambling Commission if corrupt practices are discovered.
Betting on sport has always been popular in Britain, with figures from
the National Audit Office in 2005 estimating annual turnover at 53
billion pounds ($95 billion).
However, the nature of betting has
changed in the past decade with a move to the internet and phone
accounts allowing people to place a bet at any time from any place, not
just with bookmakers but also directly with fellow punters.
In
Germany, referee Robert Hoyzer was found guilty late last year of
fixing matches in a two million euro ($2.5 million) betting fraud. The
case caused embarrassment to Germany, hosts of the 2006 World Cup which
begins on June 9.
FIFA, world soccer's governing body, responded
to the scandals by setting up FIFA Early Warning System GmbH which aims
to spot what could be attempts to manipulate games.
Online
bookmakers Betfair have also signed an agreement with UEFA to provide
immediate information to the European governing body whenever unusual
betting patterns are detected.
"There are matches every day, 365
days a year, 24 hours a day. Corruption is therefore inevitable," FIFA
General Secretary Urs Linsi has said.
