The European Lotteries (EL) on EU Sport Integrity Day 2024: Fighting Match-Fixing and Safeguard Sport for Society

Lausanne, Switzerland (April 15, 2024) — On the occasion of EU Sport Integrity Day (15 April), The European Lotteries (EL) reaffirm a strong commitment in the fight against match-fixing and the safeguarding of sport integrity.

EL is dedicated to raising standards in the field of integrity and adopts a zero-tolerance policy towards unethical behaviours, particularly in sports betting. By enforcing strict standards, EL and its members ensure secure and fair operations while mitigating the risks associated with fraud and criminal infiltrations. In jeopardising sports ethics and the unpredictability that underlies every sporting contest, it calls into question the very nature of sport, and therefore the public’s interest in sport and the willingness of public and private sponsors to finance it. Today, EL emphasises the importance of national lotteries to preserve the honesty of sports betting, but, above all, to promote the positive value of sport.

EL works closely with like-minded stakeholders such as the European Institutions, the Council of Europe (CoE), United Lotteries for Integrity in Sports (ULIS), the World Lottery Association (WLA), and the European Sports NGO (ENGSO). EL continues to endorse and fully support the Macolin Convention, the only legally binding international treaty promoting global cooperation to tackle the manipulation of sports competitions.

This week, EL’s participation in the EU Sport Forum (16-17 April), provides the opportunity to continue important dialogues with the European and international sports communities. Key topics for discussion include integrity, sustainability, and gender equality.

About The European Lotteries (EL) is the European umbrella organissation of national lotteries operating games of chance for the public benefit in more than 40 European countries with around 50 Members in all EU Member States. It is the largest and most representative lottery and gambling sector’s organisation in Europe whose members only operate in those jurisdictions in which they are licensed and where they comply with the legal requirements. EL stands for the sound and sustainable gaming model for the benefit of society based on the values of responsibility, sustainability, and integrity. Over 2022, the money contributed to society by all the members of EL amounted to just over 22 billion euros, a year-on-year growth of a little over 11%.

Contact: Lucy Lenaers-Mathieson, EL Communications Officer, E-mail: lucy.mathieson@european-lotteries.eu

SOURCE: European Lotteries (EL).