The Polismyndigheten (Swedish Police Authority) has announced investigations to address the connections between gambling and corruption in the sports industry. The police will achieve this by collecting data such as email addresses and other information. This data will help identify any suspicious activities before taking the necessary steps to protect the integrity of sports.
This comes after a report from law enforcement in Sweden was released concerning any possible links between corruption in sports and the gambling industry. It also coincides with plans to set up a new task force.
According to the Sports corruption report from the Swedish Police Authority, the issue has become rampant domestically and globally. The report highlighted football as one of the sports significantly impacted by corruption.
The police declared that those responsible for the scams are based in Sweden and have links to other countries. These individuals also operate big sports betting businesses on the national and global gaming market. The statement added that these individuals are in touch with networks involved in coordinated criminal activities.
There has been a continuous enlistment of personnel in the form of players, referees, and leaders with gambling addiction as a method of coercion for criminal activities.
Per Engström, National Operations Department Head of Section, declared:
“Sport stands for values such as integrity, team spirit and fair play. But it is also about large sums of money, which in turn means that criminal actors become interested and see opportunities here as well.
“It is clear to us in the Swedish police that criminal actors choose to advance their positions in various arenas where they can see financial gains. From the police, we have ongoing investigations in the area, but in order for us to deal with this in society, it is necessary that we work together to prevent crime, at all levels.”
Recently, the Ministry of Finance urged the government to prevent residents from using credit cards on regulated betting sites in an effort to combat problem gambling.
