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Lack of governance of football friendly (non-competitive) matches exploited by match-fixers
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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Anderson has served as interim CFO since May 4 as Scientific Games begins a search for a permanent finance chief.
Scientific Games said May 12 that Chief Financial Officer Nick Negro will leave the company on May 15, ending a three-year tenure. The company said Negro is departing for an opportunity based in Chicago to be closer to family.
Scientific Games has appointed Ray Anderson as interim Chief Financial Officer, effective May 4, while it searches for a permanent CFO.
“Nick has been a strong member of our leadership team and an advocate for the potential of Scientific Games,” said Pat McHugh, Chief Executive Officer for Scientific Games. “During his time with the company, he significantly strengthened our financial and procurement organizations and helped position Scientific Games for continued growth. We thank Nick for his contributions and wish him all the best.”
Anderson is a CPA with more than 30 years of global experience, including senior roles at KPMG across the U.S., Europe and Asia. Most recently, he served as a Global Lead Partner advising Fortune 500 companies on audit, capital markets and regulatory strategy, and previously led KPMG’s Pacific Southwest audit practice for six years.
“Ray is a highly respected finance leader with extensive global experience advising large, complex organizations,” said McHugh. “We are confident in his ability to support the business and our Finance organization during this transition.”
The post Scientific Games CFO Nick Negro to depart May 15; Ray Anderson named interim appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Scientific Games announced today that Chief Financial Officer Nick Negro will be leaving the company on May 15 after three years of success in the role leading the company through three years of growth.
Negro is departing for an opportunity based in Chicago that allows him to be closer to family.
To ensure continuity during the transition, Scientific Games has appointed Ray Anderson as interim Chief Financial Officer, effective May 4, as the company begins the search for a permanent CFO.
“Nick has been a strong member of our leadership team and an advocate for the potential of Scientific Games,” said Pat McHugh, Chief Executive Officer for Scientific Games. “During his time with the company, he significantly strengthened our financial and procurement organizations and helped position Scientific Games for continued growth. We thank Nick for his contributions and wish him all the best.”
Anderson is a seasoned finance leader and CPA with more than 30 years of global experience, including senior leadership roles at KPMG across the U.S., Europe and Asia. Most recently, he served as a Global Lead Partner, advising Fortune 500 companies on audit, capital markets and regulatory strategy, and working closely with boards and executive teams. Immediately prior to this role, he led KPMG’s Pacific Southwest audit practice for six years.
“Ray is a highly respected finance leader with extensive global experience advising large, complex organizations,” said McHugh. “We are confident in his ability to support the business and our Finance organization during this transition.”
Serving 150 lotteries in 50 countries, Scientific Games is the world’s largest lottery games company, fastest growing lottery systems provider and a leading provider of digital lottery solutions.
© 2026 Scientific Games, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
The post Scientific Games Announces CFO Transition appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
Modernization adds Momentum ecosystem tools and rolls out new terminals and self-service machines to 1,000+ retailers statewide.
Scientific Games has completed a technology systems conversion for the New Mexico Lottery, modernizing lottery operations with a new gaming system and rolling out retail technology to more than 1,000 locations across the state. The update went live May 11, 2026, according to the company.
Scientific Games said the new system now powers the Lottery’s draw-based and Scratchers’ sales and is designed to simplify product management for retailers. The conversion also includes the launch of the Scientific Games Enhanced Partnership (SGEP) instant game management program, which the company said combines analytics, logistics, retail optimization and product strategy.
“The New Mexico Lottery is officially live with new, modern technology systems that work together to enhance all aspects of our operations and ensure we are well-positioned for our next era of growth,” said David Barden, CEO of the New Mexico Lottery. “We’ve strategically planned every step of this holistic modernization effort with Scientific Games to intelligently operate our retail network, making our Scratchers games easier for retailers to manage in their stores and easily accessible to our valued players.”
Scientific Games said the conversion was developed over the past year and is built on its Momentum ecosystem. Components cited include an advanced central gaming system, the SciTrak instant game distribution system, the gem | intelligence retailer licensing and management portal and the INFUSE business intelligence platform. The company said WAVE clerk-operated terminals and PlayCentral self-service machines will be deployed to retailers in planned phases.
“Congratulations to the New Mexico Lottery for building upon our long-standing instant scratch game partnership, embracing innovation for the future,” said John Schulz, President of Americas & Global Instant Products for Scientific Games. “We are proud to serve as the Lottery’s full-line partner and help drive maximum proceeds for New Mexico college students.”
The post Scientific Games completes systems conversion for New Mexico Lottery appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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