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

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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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Tonybet player in Canada claims $20,000 CAD golden World Cup card prize

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Tonybet says a player in Laurier-Station, Canada has claimed the “golden card” prize worth $20,000 CAD in the operator’s World Cup Card Collection. The announcement was made Tuesday 21st July 2026.

The World Cup collection featured 51 cards in total, including 48 digital cards representing participating World Cup nations, plus three unique prize cards in bronze, silver and gold. Tonybet said the bronze card—available during the group stage—was previously found by a customer in Saint-Colomban, Canada, while the silver card—available during the knockout rounds up to the quarter-finals—was won by a player in County Kildare, Ireland.

The golden card became available for the semi-final, third-place play-off and final, and has now been claimed, Tonybet said.

Tonybet Head of Product Kiryl Liudvikevich said: “You can plan a campaign down to the last detail, but you can’t plan what the World Cup brings.

“We designed the collection to evolve with the tournament, and every knockout round created new stories we couldn’t have predicted. Seeing players complete their collections and discovering who would uncover each prize was the most rewarding part of the campaign.

“I hope everyone enjoyed the experience for what it was meant to be: a fun addition to the tournament, played responsibly and always within their limits.”

Tonybet said the collection will remain open until 31 July for players who are still completing sets and spending coins, although all grand prizes have been awarded.

The post Tonybet player in Canada claims $20,000 CAD golden World Cup card prize appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

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Canada

Tonybet player in Canada claims $20,000 CAD golden World Cup card prize

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on

tonybet-player-in-canada-claims-$20,000-cad-golden-world-cup-card-prize

Tonybet says a player in Laurier-Station, Canada has claimed the “golden card” prize worth $20,000 CAD in the operator’s World Cup Card Collection. The announcement was made Tuesday 21st July 2026.

The World Cup collection featured 51 cards in total, including 48 digital cards representing participating World Cup nations, plus three unique prize cards in bronze, silver and gold. Tonybet said the bronze card—available during the group stage—was previously found by a customer in Saint-Colomban, Canada, while the silver card—available during the knockout rounds up to the quarter-finals—was won by a player in County Kildare, Ireland.

The golden card became available for the semi-final, third-place play-off and final, and has now been claimed, Tonybet said.

Tonybet Head of Product Kiryl Liudvikevich said: “You can plan a campaign down to the last detail, but you can’t plan what the World Cup brings.

“We designed the collection to evolve with the tournament, and every knockout round created new stories we couldn’t have predicted. Seeing players complete their collections and discovering who would uncover each prize was the most rewarding part of the campaign.

“I hope everyone enjoyed the experience for what it was meant to be: a fun addition to the tournament, played responsibly and always within their limits.”

Tonybet said the collection will remain open until 31 July for players who are still completing sets and spending coins, although all grand prizes have been awarded.

The post Tonybet player in Canada claims $20,000 CAD golden World Cup card prize appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.

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SCCG Management and Trivver Partner to Transform Gaming with AI-Powered Interactive Commerce

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SCCG Management has entered a strategic partnership with Trivver, Inc., a spatial AI technology company holding more than 165 global patents, to bring measurable AI-powered commerce experiences to gaming operators, casinos, sportsbooks, and entertainment brands.

SCCG Management, an advisory and consultancy firm serving publicly traded and privately held corporations across the global gaming, betting, and prediction markets sectors, today announced a new strategic partnership with Trivver, Inc., a spatial AI technology company based in Hideout, Utah. The partnership brings Trivver’s patented AI-powered Smart Objects into SCCG’s network of gaming operators, platform providers, and sports and entertainment brands.

Trivver holds more than 165 global patents covering spatial AI, immersive environment monetization, and viewability measurement, with technology that deploys across web, mobile, and smart glasses platforms without requiring an app download. Trivver enables gaming operators and brands to transform digital environments into measurable, interactive commerce experiences where every product, sponsorship, or promotion becomes intelligent, personalized, and directly shoppable. The company’s work includes a virtual banking experience built for JPMorgan Chase and, most recently, the June 11, 2026 launch of its PlayCanvas SDK on Google Cloud Marketplace, Trivver’s first commercial deployment of in-game advertising infrastructure, announced with supporting statements from Jack Buser, global director for Games, Strategic Industries at Google Cloud, and Will Eastcott, CEO and co-founder of PlayCanvas. The SDK lets developers building on the PlayCanvas engine deploy interactive in-world brand experiences inside browser-based games, personalized in real time using Google’s Gemini models, with Unreal Engine and Unity support in development. Its platform is designed to turn any product, brand asset, or advertising unit into an interactive 3D object inside an immersive environment, with built-in measurement of viewability and engagement aligned with IAB and MRC ad-measurement standards.

Trivver’s environments can be launched through a URL, QR code, or link, with inventory swapped in seconds without changing the destination address, and each smart object carries its own engagement data on screen coverage and dwell time. That data layer is what SCCG sees as the differentiator for gaming and entertainment use cases: an operator or rights holder can measure exactly how an audience engages with a branded 3D object inside a live casino stream, a fan-engagement environment, or a venue activation, not just whether it was displayed.

Under the partnership, SCCG will provide Trivver with strategic and regulatory advisory across gaming verticals, commercial introductions to operators and platform partners across its network, support for Trivver’s expansion into new international markets, and introductions to potential strategic partners and acquirers. The engagement will prioritize verticals where Trivver’s technology has direct application, including live casino, fan engagement and sports entertainment, music, and automotive. The fit runs in both directions: Trivver’s own positioning for its Enterprise AI Commerce Platform names Gaming, Casinos & Sports Betting as one of ten target verticals the platform serves.

“Trivver is exactly the kind of category-defining technology partner our network looks for. They hold more than 165 global patents, they just launched their PlayCanvas SDK on Google Cloud Marketplace, and their own platform already names gaming, casinos, and sports betting as a core vertical. Live casino, fan engagement, and immersive entertainment all have unused digital real estate, and Trivver’s spatial AI is built to monetize exactly that space, with measurement built to IAB and MRC standards.”

Stephen Crystal, Founder and CEO, SCCG Management

SCCG will draw on its established network of more than 100 partners across sportsbook operators, iGaming platforms, content studios, live casino providers, and B2B technology vendors to identify and support introductions for Trivver, alongside representation at major international gaming events including G2E Las Vegas, ICE London, and SBC events.

“Gaming has become one of the world’s largest digital commerce platforms. Together with SCCG we’re giving operators, brands, and entertainment companies a new way to engage audiences through AI-powered experiences that can be measured, personalized, and monetized in real time.”

Joel LaMontagne, Chief Executive Officer, Trivver, Inc.

The partnership adds to SCCG’s growing roster of technology partners bringing new categories of immersive, measurable digital experiences into the gaming and entertainment industry, and reflects the continued convergence of physical and digital engagement across live casino, sports, music, and automotive audiences. SCCG will begin with a market assessment and gaming-vertical analysis of Trivver’s technology, followed by initial introductions to qualified operators and platform providers across its network, with distribution and advisory support continuing throughout the engagement.

About SCCG Management

SCCG Management is a global advisory firm with more than 33 years of experience connecting clients to strategic partners across the gambling industry. With an ecosystem of over 130 gaming-related partner companies, SCCG provides market representation, business development, capital introductions, and managed services to operators, technology providers, and brands worldwide. For more information, visit sccgmanagement.com.

About Trivver

Trivver, Inc. is a spatial AI technology company specializing in 3D smart object technology, immersive environment monetization, and augmented reality deployment across web, mobile, and smart glasses platforms. Trivver is the Enterprise AI Commerce Platform that enables organizations to create, deploy, measure, personalize, and monetize interactive experiences across web, mobile, gaming, smart TVs, and emerging wearable devices. The company holds more than 165 global patents, launched its PlayCanvas SDK on Google Cloud Marketplace in June 2026, and has worked with organizations including JPMorgan Chase. Trivver is led by Chief Executive Officer Joel LaMontagne. For more information, visit trivver.com.

The post SCCG Management and Trivver Partner to Transform Gaming with AI-Powered Interactive Commerce appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.

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