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Lack of governance of football friendly (non-competitive) matches exploited by match-fixers

Published

5 years ago

December 1, 2021

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Football friendly matches are wide open for match-fixing due to a lack of regulation according to new research, with more than 250 friendlies involving European clubs showing signs of suspicious activity during 2016-20. The results come from a three-year study funded by the European Commission’s Erasmus+ programme and led by the University of Nicosia Research Foundation.

A survey of 700 players in Cyprus, Greece and Malta conducted by the project also found that:

More than a quarter of players (26.5%) had played in a club friendly they suspected had been manipulated.
More than a quarter (26.3%) of approaches to fix a friendly match were made by club officials and 15% by other players.
Club officials were the instigators in 19% of approaches to manipulate friendlies and were the main beneficiaries in 26.3% of approaches.

The research study found that international and national football federations have been slow to establish where responsibility lies for friendlies, particularly when clubs from different countries are involved in non-competitive matches played in a third country. Some European football federations do not track where clubs go on pre-season and mid-winter tours.

This lack of sporting governance and regulation, combined with the availability of these games on betting markets around the world, notably with poorly or unregulated betting operators in jurisdictions such as Curaçao and the Philippines, who may themselves have links to criminality, leaves these games at greater risk of potential exploitation by match-fixers.

To address this, the report, Combating Match Fixing in Club Football Non-Competitive Friendlies, proposes:

That UEFA enforces regulation of friendlies on all 55 member associations
That match agents are barred from owning or controlling clubs, just as players agents are
The formation of a body to represent match agents in future negotiations with international bodies such as FIFA and UEFA on regulation
Establishing data standards that prevent the sale of live match data to poorly and unregulated betting operators

Unlike competitive matches, which are usually covered by agreements between data companies and competition organisers, friendlies are a free-for-all.

Data from these games is being collected and sold to poorly and unregulated betting operators, which do not report signs of suspicious activity, which is often a licensing requirement for well-regulated operators. This sporting event data collation and sale for betting does not currently fall within the scope of regulation, leaving a potential ‘blind spot’ in terms of market and consumer protection.

Lead investigator, Professor Nicos Kartakoullis, President of the Council, University of Nicosia, comments:

“The combination of a lack of regulation, oversight and information makes these matches easier to manipulate than competitive matches.

“This research shows that in terms of governance, friendly matches need to be considered just like competitive matches.

“With the data for 4,000 friendly matches being offered for betting purposes around the world each year, it is also vital that the betting companies receiving that data are operating from well-regulated jurisdictions and report suspicious betting to protect the integrity of those events.”

The research was led by the University of Nicosia Research Foundation and included the International Betting Integrity Association, EU Athletes, CIES and the football players unions of Cyprus, Greece and Malta as project partners.

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Digicode to demo Diger Suite iGaming stack at iGB L!VE London 2026

Published

7 hours ago

June 30, 2026

Wladimir P.

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The company says it will show five modules covering RGS, PAM, payments, affiliates and an AI ops assistant at ExCeL London on 1–2 July.

Digicode will exhibit at iGB L!VE London 2026 on July 1–2 at ExCeL London, where it plans to showcase its Diger Suite modular iGaming technology ecosystem.

The company said the Diger Suite is built to help operators integrate multiple technology partners while maintaining player experience, compliance workflows and operational agility as they expand into regulated markets.

Digicode’s product lineup at the show includes DigerRGS (remote game server for launching, distributing and managing content across jurisdictions), DigerPAM (player account management covering player operations, compliance and responsible gaming controls), and DigerPay (payment orchestration supporting local payment methods and regulatory requirements).

It will also present DigerClick, an affiliate management platform with tracking, partner management, commission automation and analytics, plus DigerCompanion, described as an AI-powered operational assistant for automating customer support and internal workflows.

Digicode said its team will use the event to meet operators, game providers, affiliates and technology partners to discuss platform interoperability, modernization of legacy systems, and approaches to reducing vendor lock-in through modular integrations.

The post Digicode to demo Diger Suite iGaming stack at iGB L!VE London 2026 appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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Million Games launches Skull King’s Treasure with partner studio Arcane Pixel

Published

7 hours ago

June 30, 2026

Wladimir P.

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High-volatility 6×6 cluster slot goes live to operators and aggregators via Million Games on 30 June 2026.

Million Games has launched Skull King’s Treasure, a high-volatility cluster slot developed in partnership with Million Stars studio Arcane Pixel. The game becomes available to operators and aggregators through the Million Games distribution network on 30 June 2026.

The title is Arcane Pixel’s first release under the Million Games brand. It runs on a 6×6 grid with a cluster pay mechanic, paying on connections of five or more matching symbols and using cascading wins to enable multiple outcomes from a single spin.

Gameplay is built around Wild generation and multiplier progression via the Skull King mechanic. Winning Wild symbols are absorbed to increase the multiplier for subsequent cascades, linking continued wins with increased payout potential.

A Free Spins mode triggers on four or more Scatter symbols and awards up to 10 spins. During Free Spins, the multiplier does not reset between spins.

“With Skull King’s Treasure, Arcane Pixel has delivered a confident first release,” said Thomas Nimstad, CEO of Million Games. “The game combines familiar cluster mechanics with strong multiplier progression, creating a clear and engaging experience with real upside. It’s exactly the kind of partner-driven innovation the Million Stars programme is built to support.” Million Games said the title has a maximum win potential of 10,000x the bet.

The post Million Games launches Skull King’s Treasure with partner studio Arcane Pixel appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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Paysecure hires Entain’s Ganesh Iyer as Head of Product

Published

8 hours ago

June 29, 2026

Wladimir P.

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The payment orchestration platform also appoints Lili Piper as Senior Partnership Manager and adds infrastructure and blockchain leads.

Paysecure has appointed Ganesh Iyer, formerly of Entain, as Head of Product, as the payment orchestration platform looks to scale internationally across iGaming and global ecommerce.

Paysecure said Iyer will lead the next stage of product design. At FTSE 100-listed Entain, he led Global Payments across 20+ regulated markets, managing a team of seven Product Managers and distributed engineering squads.

The company also named Lili Piper as Senior Partnership Manager. Piper previously worked as Business Development Director at Volt.io and Senior Business Development Manager at Paysafe, and will focus on growing revenue from Paysecure’s partner network and adding strategic partners to expand payment method choice for clients.

Paysecure added that it has made further hires over the last two months, including Head of Infrastructure and Head of Blockchain, as it expands its technical footprint.

Ganesh Iyer, Head of Product, Paysecure, commented, “After time at Entain, I am pleased to join the Paysecure team and having worked on the operator side of the orchestration space, I can’t wait to get started. I’m looking forward to refining our products to clearly address the deep needs of our client personas, and surface clear product and functionality feature sets that differentiate us in our market as a challenger brand.”

Amit Hooja, Co-Founder and CEO at Paysecure, said: “We’re excited to welcome Ganesh and our new colleagues to the Paysecure team. Ganesh will spearhead our product development, and there’s a shared sense of purpose towards the work we are doing, which we believe is game changing in the payment orchestration space. We look forward to bringing new products to the market and continue to lead the way in the sector”.

The post Paysecure hires Entain’s Ganesh Iyer as Head of Product appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.