ESSA hatches plan to 'kick crime out of sport'

An industry body representing the likes of William Hill, Ladbrokes and Sky Bet has co-launched a new initiative designed to clamp down on match fixing in sport.

The Kick Crime Out of Sport (KCOOS) project was launched in Brussels on Wednesday with support from ESSA, a non-profit organisation which aims to preserve the integrity of sports and betting markets.

Other notable ESSA members include bet365, BetVictor, Betway, bwin.party and Paddy Power.

The KCOOS initiative, which is also backed by Interpol, the International Olympic Committee and the British and French regulatory authorities, will develop a ‘handbook on good practices’ for operators and organise regional events where firms can share information and explore legislative tools to deal with match-fixing.

Other action plans for the 18-month project include the establishment of national regulatory structures to empower relevant authorities.

“The project marks another important milestone in the development of an effective and coordinated international collaboration between key stakeholders that are intent on driving criminals out of sport,” Khalid Ali, ESSA secretary general, said.

“Responsible regulated betting operators want nothing else than sport to be free from manipulation and will do whatever we can to help to achieve that,” he added.

The issue of match-fixing has been thrust into the spotlight in recent weeks after a joint Buzzfeed and BBC report alleged that 16 tennis players ranked in the world top 50 had been involved in several matches with ‘suspicious betting patterns’.

A separate report in the Guardian this week claimed that two international tennis umpires were secretly banned last year for match-fixing, with four others facing sanctions.