Forbes – The recent round of match fixing allegations causing anxiety in European football circles is a reminder that sport betting has become a real problem child for the gambling industry. Banned in most markets around the world, with the notable exceptions of the UK, France, Spain and Italy, it continues to be a huge illicit industry. According to sports data analysts Sportradar, worldwide sports betting revenues are now worth anywhere between $700-billion and $1-trillion a year, with only a tiny fraction of this amount passing through the coffers of national exchequeurs. About 70% of that trade is estimated to…

iGaming Business – UK bookmaker Ladbrokes has launched its new mobile sportsbook on Mobenga’s platform, Playtech’s mobile gaming subsidiary. The new sportsbook features a new interface and navigation menu, ‘push’ notices to promote relevant and timely prices, live streaming of horseracing and a quickbet option that allows players to place single bets almost immediately. The full launch follows a limited release in August to a small number of customers to gather feedback and test functionality. The announcement also comes shortly after the formation of an exclusive partnership between Ladbrokes and the mobile technology specialist Chelsea App Factory, which has a…

BBC – Football is never far away from its next scandal and allegations of match-fixing certainly dent the reputation of the beautiful game. But is it right to call the recent claims of wrongdoing “match-fixing”? Sam Sodje, a former Portsmouth player, was filmed by an undercover reporter claiming he could arrange for footballers to be booked for a £30,000 fee and a sending-off for £50,000 to £70,000 in order to facilitate betting fraudsters. Six people have been arrested, including DJ Campbell, the Blackburn Rovers striker. Emotive terms like “plague” and “cancer” have been used in the media and there have…

iGaming Business – Two non-league footballers that were arrested as part of a National Crime Agency (NCA) investigation into an alleged international betting syndicate and match-fixing in English football have been bailed until Friday. According to the BBC, Whitehawk FC players Michael Boateng and Hakeem Adelakun are accused of conspiring to defraud bookmakers by influencing the course of football matches and placing bets. The pair were not required to enter a plea during and spoke only to confirm their names and addresses during a short hearing at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court. Boateng and Adelakun were charged on November 5 and have…

ESPN – Leaders across a range of sports in the United Kingdom have been invited to a Government meeting to discuss best practice in the wake of the recent match-fixing allegations. Maria Miller, the secretary of state for culture, media and sport, invited senior officials from football, tennis, cricket, rugby union and rugby league to discuss methods of combating the issue. Representatives from the Premier League, the Football League, the Gambling Commission and the British Horseracing Authority will be present and a Government source told Press Association Sport: “We want to make sure no stone is left unturned in the…

iGaming Business – Alex Horne, general secretary of the Football Association, the sport’s governing body in England, believes ‘fixing’ matches is not a widespread occurrence in the English game, but has warned against complacency in the fight against match fixing and corrupt betting. Horne was among representatives of football, cricket, horseracing, rugby league, rugby union and tennis who attended a summit on Tuesday morning with UK government officials, including Culture Secretary Maria Miller. The meeting took place against the backdrop of a major scandal to emerge in English football, with six people, including Blackburn Rovers striker DJ Campbell, having been…