The Spanish National Police will probe claims of potential betting fraud and sports match manipulation, which were uncovered by the nation’s gambling regulatory body.
Spain’s gambling regulator, the General Directorate for Gambling Regulation (DGOJ), detected the possible match-fixing irregularities through its Global Betting Market Research Service (SIGMA) division.
The Ministry of Consumer Affairs inked a pact with the General Police Corps, the department of the Ministry of the Interior responsible for the country’s National Police, to conduct a criminal inquiry into the potential match-fixing.
Under the agreement, the National Police will be permitted to access the SIGMA database and will be tasked with investigating alerts issued by the system in sporting events and betting.
Spain has established an agency to combat match-fixing.
SIGMA was established as part of a comprehensive overhaul of the country’s gambling legislation in October 2022, with the goal of enabling organizations registered on its network to collaborate by processing personal data to mitigate match-fixing and fraud.
At present, the network comprises diverse participants within the Spanish professional sports arena, encompassing the National Sports Council, athletic associations, professional leagues, and authorized wagering firms. The organization is overseen by the DGOJ.
To monitor the advancement of this undertaking, the DGOJ and the DGP will collaboratively establish a “Monitoring Committee.” This entity will be constituted within a month and will convene annually, although gatherings can be summoned at any juncture if requested by any of the participating government agencies.
The accord is effective for a period of four years and ensures the secrecy of the information exchanged by the parties.
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