Patrik Hofbauer, President and Chief Executive Officer of Svenska Spel, has announced that his company is endeavoring to push for sports wagering in certain markets in Sweden to be banned in an attempt to put an end to match-fixing as suggested by the Swedish Government.
During a meeting held between the Swedish Ice Hockey Association, Swedish Football Association (SvFF) and the Swedish Social Security Minister Ardalan Shekarabi, Hofbauer announced that the betting markets banned will be those that can be influenced by individual players including yellow cards, corners and dismissals and that operators have a responsibility to make it more difficult for match-fixing to take place.
Hofbauer went on to say that this type of event is very easy to manipulate because they do not depend on the entire team effort, but can be controlled by a single player.
He also said that Svenska Spel has always been supportive of the sport on this issue and that it is a matter of course for them to work together against cheating and crime. He continued to say that their customers should be able to feel confident that the matches they have played on are free from manipulation.
Hofbauer added that Svenska Spel welcomes the minister’s message and that it is common sense not to offer this kind of market as match fixing is a problem for the sports and gaming industry already as it is and there is no reason for the gaming companies to make it easy for the match fixers.
