The United Lotteries for Integrity in Sport (ULIS) took part in two UEFA integrity events this week in Ljubljana, Slovenia: the UEFA Integrity Officer Forum (IOF) on 17-18 March and the UEFA Anti-Match-Fixing Working Group (AMF WG) meeting on 19 March.
In what was billed as European football’s largest-ever gathering of integrity specialists, UEFA brought all 55 member associations together with leading anti-match-fixing stakeholders from sport, government, law enforcement and the private sector to address persistent threats to the integrity of football and develop effective countermeasures.
Integrity officers gained valuable training, learning new investigative methods while sharing case intelligence. Interactive sessions combining real-life studies with hands-on exercises challenged them to identify and address potential threats and irregularities, while networking opportunities helped strengthen connections between ULIS, UEFA and our international partners.
At the IOF plenary session, ULIS General Secretary Luca Esposito took part in a discussion titled “Inside the Odds: A Deep Dive into Betting Markets.” The talk examined emerging trends in illegal betting and how match-fixers exploit these markets. The session also highlighted the benefits of utilizing betting reports from various providers, offering a nuanced understanding of risk and providing valuable tips for enhanced integrity monitoring.
Esposito underscored ULIS’s commitment to providing actionable intelligence and support to Integrity Officers, calling collaboration between partners critical for the effective safeguarding of sport moving forward.
“The next phase of sports integrity will not be defined by who has the best monitoring system, but by how effectively we connect intelligence, technology, and cooperation across the global ecosystem,” Esposito said, adding that while artificial intelligence has become a valuable new tool in detection, “human expertise and cooperation remain essential in the fight against match-fixing and manipulation.”
On Day 2, an interactive Integrity Fair was held where Integrity Officers visited booths set up by industry leaders ranging from Interpol to the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Attendees engaged directly with experts who offered insights into their work, practical guidance for real-world challenges, and resources to strengthen the fight against match-fixing.
The ULIS booth tested visitors’ knowledge of legal and illegal betting sites. A ‘spot-the-scam’ exercise challenged Integrity Officers to distinguish licensed betting websites from illegal ones by analysing screenshots of various online platforms. A ULIS representative provided tips on how to differentiate between the two.
Held at the headquarters of the Football Association of Slovenia (NZS), the annual AMF WG meeting highlighted the need for greater collaboration in the fight against match-fixing.
The gathering featured representatives from the Council of Europe, CONMEBOL, Europol, FIBA, FIPRO, Genius Sports, the Group of Copenhagen, IBIA, the IOC, Interpol, UEFA commercial partners, the Spanish National Police, Sportradar, and UNODC.
Following a debrief of the IOF with feedback from those in attendance, the AMF WG switched to presentations of key initiatives and activities since its last meeting, followed by a discussion on the leading trends, challenges and intelligence.
ULIS presented crucial data regarding global trends in alerts within sport over the past year, incorporating insights into European football and highlighting risk levels by competition type and country. Notably, the presentation revealed a significant increase in alerts related to women’s football in Europe, a trend ULIS is actively investigating and working to address, recognizing the unique vulnerabilities within this growing sector of the sport.
“These meetings clearly demonstrate that UEFA’s commitment to tackling match-fixing remains unwavering,” Esposito said. “ULIS is proud to have been an active participant and to share our insights with our partners in a collaborative approach aimed at safeguarding European football and protecting its future.”
Angelo Rigopoulos, UEFA Integrity & Regulatory executive director, said: "Anti-match-fixing threats do not respect borders, so it is vital that our response is unified and collaborative. What we have built together in these sessions forms the foundation of effective protection, and when all stakeholders align our efforts, we strengthen European football’s defence system in a way no single organisation can achieve alone.”
Photo courtesy: UEFA
