Sweden’s revised draft regulations on match fixing contains improvements to the previous plan, but it still falls short says the country’s gambling operator, Svenska Spel.
“It is a step in the right direction, but there is still a long way to go before we have all the tools necessary to stop match fixing,” said Dan Korhonen, director for sports betting and gaming security at Svenska Spel.
The main improvement is to limit the choice of games to the top four divisions in Swedish football. It might fit with Sweden, he argued, but in Estonia, for example, the matches would be games played at a very low level.
He is also dismayed at the lack of any prospect of betting on friendly matches. “National teams play many friendlies every year and not to allow licensed bookmakers to offer bets on these would be very unfortunate.”
There is also no ban on betting on throws-in and corners, which is deplored by Korhonen. “There are still areas missing in the regulations.”