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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.

7Games

FIRST.bet Launches Sportsbook with Brazil’s Biggest Online Casino Operator

Published

9 minutes ago

June 22, 2026

Wladimir P.

first.bet-launches-sportsbook-with-brazil’s-biggest-online-casino-operator

7Games partners with FIRST.bet to deliver Tier-1 sportsbook technology to one of Brazil’s largest casino operators.

7Games, Betão, and R7—brands managed by OIG Gaming Brazil Ltda. and recognized as key players in Brazil’s casino-led betting market—have launched a comprehensive sportsbook platform powered by FIRST.bet’s leading Tier-1 technology.

As one of Brazil’s most prominent casino operators, OIG Gaming Brazil Ltda. opted for FIRST.bet to seamlessly expand its reach into the sports betting sector across its trio of brands. This partnership underscores the scalability and robustness of FIRST.bet, demonstrating its capacity to support large-scale, multi-brand ecosystems in the competitive Brazilian market.

Leveraging FIRST.bet’s SportOS operating system, 7Games developed a customized sportsbook front end tailored to its unique branding and user experience. While players interact with a platform fully reflective of 7Games’ identity—from design to functionality—the underlying engine driving trading, pricing, live markets, and overall performance is powered by FIRST.bet.

As a casino-first operator venturing into sports betting, 7Games required a sportsbook solution aligning directly with the nuances of the Brazilian market. FIRST.bet delivered exactly that: a product optimized for Brazil, complete with Brazilian-Portuguese language capabilities, odds models tailored for national leagues, and high-performance live betting, trading, and risk management systems to meet the demands of a competitive scale.

“Brazil isn’t a market where you can afford slow growth—your product must hit the ground running,” explained Fernando Oliveira Lima, Founder and CEO of 7Games. “FIRST.bet provided us with a solution already optimized for this market, allowing us to concentrate on serving our players rather than troubleshooting underlying technology.”

Echoing this sentiment, Tom Light, Founder and CEO of FIRST.bet, added, “Success in Brazil hinges on getting the product right from day one. Operators who fail to meet those expectations are quickly left behind. With 7Games already commanding significant casino traffic, they now have a sportsbook designed to handle that scale. It’s their unique brand experience backed by an engine built for top-tier performance, which is exactly why we developed SportOS.”

The post FIRST.bet Launches Sportsbook with Brazil’s Biggest Online Casino Operator appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

7Games

7Games, Betão & R7 Launch FIRST.bet Sportsbook in Brazil

Published

9 minutes ago

June 22, 2026

GamingAmericas.com

7games,-betao-&-r7-launch-first.bet-sportsbook-in-brazil

7Games selects FIRST.bet to bring Tier-1 sportsbook technology to one of the biggest casino operators in Brazil.

7Games, Betão and R7, three brands operated by OIG Gaming Brazil Ltda. and among Brazil’s largest casino-led betting brands, have gone live with a full sportsbook powered by Tier-1 technology from FIRST.bet.

Already among Brazil’s biggest casino operators, OIG chose FIRST.bet to power the move into sports across all three brands, proving the engine reaches Brazil-scale operators running multiple brands at once.

7Games built its own sportsbook front end on SportOS, the FIRST.bet operating system, with the FIRST.bet engine running underneath. Players see a sportsbook that is entirely 7Games, its brand, its design, its experience, while the trading, pricing, live markets and performance come from FIRST.bet.

7Games is a casino-led brand moving into sports, so it needed a sportsbook that already fits Brazil, not one it would have to adapt. FIRST.bet ships that out of the box: a Brazilian-Portuguese product, odds models tuned to the Brazilian leagues, and the live betting, trading and risk management needed to compete at national scale.

“Brazil is not a market you can grow into slowly. The product has to work from day one,” said Fernando Oliveira Lima, Founder and CEO of 7Games. “FIRST.bet gave us a sportsbook that already fits this market, so we could focus on our players instead of fixing the technology underneath them.”

“Brazil rewards operators who get the product right and punishes the ones who don’t,” said Tom Light, Founder and CEO of FIRST.bet. “7Games already commands serious traffic on the casino side. Now they have a sportsbook built to hold up under that kind of pressure, on their own front-end, running on our engine. That is exactly what SportOS was built for.”

The post 7Games, Betão & R7 Launch FIRST.bet Sportsbook in Brazil appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.

CreedRoomz

CreedRoomz launches Maradona Run live game show with licensed rights

Published

2 days ago

June 20, 2026

Wladimir P.

creedroomz-launches-maradona-run-live-game-show-with-licensed-rights

The new football-themed title keeps CreedRoomz’ existing mechanics and adds a Maradona-branded visual overhaul and 10,000x max payout claim.

CreedRoomz has launched a new live game show, “Maradona Run,” which the supplier says is backed by official rights and is now available to partner operators on the CreedRoomz Live Casino platform.

The company positions the release around the upcoming World Cup games, with a football-themed reskin of its existing interactive game show concept. CreedRoomz said the game’s “logic and core mechanics remain exactly the same,” while the visual identity has been rebuilt around a 3D animated caricature of Diego Maradona in a number 10 jersey.

Maradona Run combines a lottery-style ball draw, where players can manage up to eight interactive cards, with an “endless runner” bonus round. In the bonus sequence, the Maradona character runs through an obstacle course collecting glowing soccer balls that the supplier says translate into gameplay advantages including multipliers, speed boosts and prize doublers. CreedRoomz stated the game has a maximum payout potential of up to 10,000x the bet.

“Securing the official rights for Maradona Run allows us to hand our partners a massive competitive advantage just in time for the World Cup games,” said Armen Mnatsakanyan, Head of Sales Department at CreedRoomz. “By merging the legendary global appeal of Maradona with our high-retention endless-runner mechanic, we have created a premium crossover product that effortlessly converts football fans into loyal live casino players. The proven logic and math models are exactly what operators trust, but the brand power and vibrant new look make this a must-have commercial powerhouse.”

The title features a live presenter alongside the animated character and includes three bonus ticket tiers—Sprint, Trailblaze, and Marathon—intended to provide multiple bonus-entry paths per round, according to the supplier.

The post CreedRoomz launches Maradona Run live game show with licensed rights appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.