Social responsibility

February 15, 2024

Connecticut report says 1.8% of state residents suffer from problem gambling

A study has found 67.8% of Connecticut residents consider the current availability of gambling in the state to be “fine”.

The study, carried out by the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, revealed a general ambivalence towards gambling in the state, with 93.5% rating the recreational activity as “not at all” or “not very” important.

Over two-thirds (67.2%) of the over 5,000 residents surveyed believe the risk of gambling harm outweighs the benefits. Meanwhile, 69.2% pointed to addiction as the biggest risk of legalised gambling in Connecticut.

However, 70.8% believe the responsibility for minimising gambling harms falls between gamblers and providers, while 68.7% have no opinion over the integrity and fairness of how gambling is offered in Connecticut. Just 17.3% are dissatisfied with the Connecticut government’s ability to minimise gambling harms.

Of the positives of legalised gambling, employment and increased government revenue led the way with 21.6% ..

January 22, 2024

ITIA suspends another player over Belgian tennis match-fixing case

The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) has suspended Tunisian player Anis Ghorbel for three years over corruption linked to the wider match-fixing case in Belgium.

Ghorbel was found guilty of four breaches of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Programme (TACP). The ITIA said this warranted the suspension and a $20,000 (£15,743/€18,365) fine.

The suspension runs from the date of the decision (4 January) to 3 January 2027.

The offences relate to the fixing of matches in 2016 and 2017. Ghorbel, who has a career-high world singles ranking of 479 in 2016, denies all charges.

Specific breaches of the TACP include two related to section D.2.a.i – failure to report a corrupt approach. The ITIA also noted a single breach of section D.1.b, facilitating betting on the outcome of a match, and section D.1.d of contriving the outcome or aspect of a match.

The suspension means Ghorbel cannot play in, coach at or attend tennis events authorised by ITIA members or national associations.

Charges..

January 17, 2024

International cricketer banned for two years for anti-corruption breaches

Bangladesh cricketer Nasir Hossain has been banned by the ICC from all cricket for two years after breaching the Emirates Cricket Board’s Anti-Corruption Code.

Hossain, who last played for Bangladesh in 2018, accepted three charges of corruption breaches. One of those included Article 2.4.3, having failed to disclose the receipt of a gift worth over $750 (£591/€690), namely a new iPhone 12.

Hossain was one of eight players and officials linked with the Pune Devils franchise charged. The offences were in relation to attempts to corrupt Abu Dhabi T10 Cricket League matches in 2021. While the attempts were disrupted, the charges have still been brought forward.

With six months of his two-year ban suspended, Hossain will be eligible to play international cricket again in April 2025.

Pune Devils co-owners and staff also facing punishment

Along with Hossain, the ICC also flagged a number of Pune Devils coaching staff, as well as co-owners Krishan Kumar Chaudhary and Parag Sanghvi.

pune..

January 16, 2024

ITIA bans tennis official for 16 years over corruption charges

The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) has banned Bulgarian official Stefan Milanov for 16 years after he was found guilty of a series of corruption offences.

Milanov was charged with 17 breaches of the ITIA Tennis Anti-Corruption Programme (TACP). His ban will run from the date of the decision (28 December 2023) until 27 December 2039.

All charges are regarding five tennis matches that Milanov umpired in 2021.

Specific breaches identified by the ITIA include five related to Section D.1.b of the 2021 TACP. This covers directly or indirectly facilitating any other person to wager on the outcome or other aspect of an event.

Five breaches were also noted of Section D.1.m of the TACP – delaying or manipulating entry of scoring data from any event. A further five breaches related to Section D.1.n – directly or indirectly attempting, agreeing or conspiring to commit corruption offences.

The ITIA said the remaining two breaches regarded Section F.2.b of the 2023 TACP. This cov..

January 15, 2024

ITIA bans French tennis player for match fixing

The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) has banned French player Leny Mitjana for 10 years after finding him guilty of corruption and match-fixing offences.

Mitjana was ruled to have breached the ITIA Tennis Anti-Corruption Programme (TACP) 11 times. His ban from tennis runs until December 2033.

The Frenchman, who held a career-high world singles ranking of 458 in 2018, denied all the charges. All charges related to the fixing of matches and the offences took place in 2017 and 2018.

Mitjana was found in breach of sections D.1.b, D.1.d, D.1.e and D.2.a.i of the TACP. These include facilitating wagering, contriving the outcome of matches, influencing other players not to use their best efforts and failing to report corrupt approaches.

The ban is effective from the actual date of the decision (22 December 2023). This means Mitjana cannot play in, coach at or attend any professional tennis event until 21 December 2033.

This covers all events authorised or sanctioned by the me..

January 12, 2024

Sportradar and Asian Football Confederation renew integrity partnership

Sportradar has signed an extension to its long-term integrity partnership with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

The renewed integrity deal runs from 2024 to 2027. This will take the partnership between Sportradar and the AFC, which began in 2013, to 14 years.

Sportradar will continue to work with the AFC on a wide range of integrity matters. This will include a joint effort to tackle issues, such as match-fixing, in Asian football.

In addition, Sportradar said it will utilise new technologies to further improve integrity in Asian football. This will include artificial intelligence and machine learning.

The renewal was agreed last night (11 January), in the eve of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup in Qatar.

AFC hails “strategic” evolution of Sportradar relationship

The AFC president, Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, welcomed the extended deal. He said the partnership has already helped clamp down on match-fixing in football across Asia.

“For the past 10 years, Sportradar has be..

January 4, 2024

ITIA bans four more tennis officials over corruption charges

The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) has handed lengthy bans to four officials after they were found guilty of a series of corruption offences.

Bans were issued to Edvinas Grigaitis, Givi Khudoiani and Arsen Movsisyan after being sanctioned by an independent anti-corruption hearing officer. The ITIA also said Manuel Sperger was also banned after being convicted of tennis match-fixing activity in an Austrian criminal court.

Breaking down the bans, Sperger an Austrian, a national-level official, will serve a seven-and-a-half-year ban. This is effective from 18 December 2023 until 17 June 2031. He will also pay a fine of $25,000 (£19,708/€22,860), with $18,750 suspended

Sperger was the subject of match-fixing-related proceedings in a criminal court in Austria. He admitted to manipulating scores in 2016 and 2017 for betting purposes.

The ITIA charged Sperger with 12 offences under its Tennis Anti-Corruption Programme (TACP). These included manipulating the entry of scoring ..

November 27, 2023

Brazil Football Confederation appoints Gussem to oversee integrity

The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) has appointed Eduardo Gussem, former attorney-general of Rio de Janeiro, as its integrity officer as part of an effort to clamp down on manipulation in the sport.

Gussem will now work with a multidisciplinary team and focus on strengthening integrity functions across football in Brazil. This includes overseeing a new integrity unit within the CBF.

He will also work with partners to help identify and punish criminals in Brazil. These include the International Centre for Sports Security, Global Alliance for Sports Integrity and a private investigative task force.

Gussem joins having previously been attorney-general of justice and president of the Public Ministry Association in Rio de Janeiro.

CBF: Online sports betting increases risk of football manipulation

CBF president Ednaldo Rodrigues said the rising popularity of sports betting has increased the risk of manipulation in football. He added that this is particularly an issue within the ..

November 24, 2023

Slovenian tennis official banned for betting on matches and data manipulation

The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) has banned Slovenian tennis official Marko Ducman for more than a decade after he was found to have wagered on matches.

Ducman is banned from officiating at or attending any tennis event authorised by ITIA members. The ban runs for 10 years and six months, until 7 March 2034.

The ITIA said that Ducman breached its Tennis Anti-Corruption Programme (TACP) by betting on tennis matches. He was also found to have manipulated data from matches in which he was an official to facilitate betting.

Ducman is an international-level and bronze-badge official who has officiated at ITF, ATP and WTA tournaments. He admitted to four breaches of the TACP, co-operated fully with the ITIA investigation and accepted an agreed sanction.

The official also waived his right to a hearing before an independent anti-corruption hearing officer. He has been suspended since 8 September 2023, with the ban being backdated to this date.

In addition, Ducman will pay..

November 13, 2023

ITIA bans seven Belgian tennis players for match-fixing

The International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) has issued bans to seven Belgian players after a court ruled they were involved with a match-fixing syndicate in the country.

All seven players were found in breach of the ITIA Tennis Anti-Corruption Programme (TACP). As a result of their involvement in tennis match-fixing, they will serve bans of various lengths.

The players in question are Arnaud Graisse, Arthur de Greef, Julien Dubail, Romain Barbosa, Maxime Authom, Omar Salman and Alec Witmeur. All were convicted by a criminal court in Belgium and agreed sanctions with the ITIA.

The case relates to a Belgian match-fixing syndicate led by Grigor Sargsyan. The recent criminal case led to the conviction of Sargsyan, who was handed a five-year custodial sentence.

Described by the Washington Post as “the man who built the biggest match-fixing ring in tennis”, Sargsyan had traversed the globe since 2018 to build a network of more than 180 professional players across five continents.
..

November 10, 2023

Affordability checks: GC chief dismisses black market fears

GC chief executive Andrew Rhodes again dismissed arguments that “intrusive” affordability checks would drive customers towards the black market.

In a bid to quell the gathering storm around affordability checks, Andrew Rhodes, the Gambling Commission’s (GC) chief executive, addressed the largest-ever gathering of industry leaders on the 10 November.

Amid conflicts with stakeholders across the UK betting landscape, Rhodes looked to outline the challenges the industry faces with the implementation of the government’s Gambling Act Review white paper.

Affordability polarisation

Acknowledging the increasing polarisation within the industry, Rhodes looked to re-iterate the Commission’s impartiality as an independent regulator.

“We have clear statutory objectives and responsibilities. We don’t have a commercial interest in what happens, but that doesn’t mean we ignore commercial realities,” he said.

“The debate on gambling has been exceptionally hard to engage in during the past year. ..

October 30, 2023

PGA Tour suspends US golfers over betting rule breaches

Golf’s PGA Tour has suspended players Vince India and Jake Staiano for breaching its rules on betting on the sport.

India and Staiano were both found to have placed bets on PGA Tour tournaments. The PGA Tour Integrity Programme states players cannot wager on any professional golf competition or event.

The PGA Tour confirmed neither player bet on competitions in which they were competing. It is not clear what events they bet on, nor the type of wagers that were placed.

India will now serve a six-month suspension from PGA Tour-sanctioned events. This is being backdated to 18 September and will run through to 17 March next year.

Staiano’s three-month suspension from PGA Tour-sanctioned competitions runs from 11 September until 10 December.

The PGA Tour says it has no further comment on the suspensions at this time.

India is a 34-year-old player from the US who turned professional back in 2011. His current Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) is 936.

Staiano, also of the US, is aged ..

November 2024
Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun
				1	2	3
4	5	6	7	8	9	10
11	12	13	14	15	16	17
18	19	20	21	22	23	24
25	26	27	28	29	30

Tag: Social responsibility