Watch the film that summarizes what illegal sports betting is and what you can do to counteract it.
What is illegal sports betting?
Illegal sports betting means betting on your own sporting performance or on a match, tournament or league in which you participate.
The regulations on illegal sports betting apply to for example athletes, managers, coaches, referees, competition officials elected representatives and leading functions of associations. It is up to each specialised sport federation to define what should count as the same league or competition within the sports administered by that federation. For example, the Superettan football league is a league owned by the Swedish Football Association, and the Summer Tour in tennis is a tournament owned by the Swedish Tennis Association. A player, coach, referee, or other official that may influence the results of a tennis tournament may not wager on any match in that tournament.
If you are unsure whether you are affected by the regulations on illegal sports betting, it is better to be on the safe side and not bet on your sport.
Why is it a problem?
Betting on your own performance in a match or someone else’s performance in the same league or competition is problematic and a serious concern from several perspectives:
It undermines the credibility of the sport. If sponsors, spectators, and others get the perception that athletes or people with positions of power in sports are betting on sporting performances, there is a great risk that the interest in sports will decrease.
It means a higher risk of participating in match-fixing. The more people in sports who bet on competitions in which they participate, or are in some way connected to, the greater the risk that more people will be led to influence the result to make money.
It increases the risk of being pressured by organised match fixers. Betting a lot on sports may attract interest from criminal networks, that see the opportunity to influence a person within a sport to manipulate results.
Gambling market and sports
To understand the risks of match-fixing, illegal sports betting, and problem gambling, it is important to understand the gambling market's connection to sports.
Gambling industry
Sport is not only an arena for the practice of sports, it also provides the gambling industry with a wide range of betting possibilities. In recent years, the number of sports betting alternatives has exploded. Above all, it has to do with the digital development of online gambling combined with the possibility to gamble via different devices, such as mobile phones, computers and tablets. This development has made it possible to gamble on sports in all parts of the world, around the clock, throughout the year.
The competition between betting companies means that a large number of companies offer bets on matches and competitions at many different levels and on different events or occurrences in matches. Anywhere from 50 to 400 betting companies usually offer bets on many of the competitions and leagues in Swedish sports.
Examples
In addition to the fact that many betting companies offer bets on leagues, competitions and final results of matches and competitions, bets are also offered on a number of different events or occurrences within a match. Below are some examples.
Football: Throw-ins, corners, yellow cards, red cards, number of goals in one half et cetera.
Ice hockey: Number of penalties, number of goals in a period, number of goals a team wins/loses by.
Tennis: Number of double faults, number of aces, next game won, next set won.
This extensive range of offers means increased risks of athletes wagering on on-field events and occurrences. This in turn increases the risks of problem gambling, illegal sports betting and match-fixing.