Swedish gambling company Svenska Spel has announced a partnership with film-making studio Kit, as part of its attempts to raise awareness of match-fixing.
The partnership will see Kit produce three educational films on the subject, the first of which will feature interviews with the head of the Swedish police’s crime in sport task force, Frederick Gardare and the Secretary of the Swedish Football Association, General Hakan Lakeshore.
The head of creative production for Kit, Sofia Stenseth, said that they had produced three documentaries that offer different angles on the problem, with the first film focusing on those who are committed to rooting out match fixing in Swedish sport.
Wider strategy
Svenska Spel has also laid out the details of its wider strategy to tackle match fixing. The company says that to help protect athletes from criminal pressure or threats it will not offer betting on a range of sports including youth sports or lower division matches. They also avoid offering markets that it says can be easily manipulated, including red cards and throw-ins.
The CEO and business area manager of Svenska Spel, Fredrik Wastenson, said that games featuring younger players and low-level football matches were often the gateway to sport manipulation:
Therefore, it is natural for us not to offer it and instead do everything we can to limit the risk of tampering. Protecting Swedish sports and healthy gaming is more important than short-term maximising revenue.”
He also called on other gambling companies to take similar action to help combat match fixing in Swedish sport, particularly in terms of the betting markets that are being offered to customers.
