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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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Claudia De Santis Head of Gaming Integrations & Operations at Eurobet.it

Swintt titles take Italy by storm following Eurobet partnership

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Sought-after software provider enjoys highly successful market debut and confirms plans to expand current Eurobet.it line-up in the months to come

With Swintt having entered the Italian market last month via an exclusive partnership with Eurobet.it, the in-demand software provider has already announced plans to expand its line-up at the casino following the promising performance of its Elysium Studios titles.

Having initially launched with popular games Pirates Pledge Hold & Win, Battle of Myths, Supa Crew, Wizardz World and Crystalium, uptake among players proved so strong that Swintt is now seeking approval from the regulator to roll out a second round of releases on the Italian platform.

Once that greenlight has been received, Swintt intends to add the spell-binding fairytale slot, A Hopping Kiss, and the recently-released expanding reels game, Enigma of Egypt, to its existing content offering, granting players at Eurobet.it an even greater choice of Elysium Studios options.

Of course, as the portfolio of Elysium Studios titles offered at Eurobet.it continues to grow, Swintt will enjoy ongoing visibility opportunities on the platform that will help raise the provider’s profile in the Italian market and help it build on the strong momentum created by the first wave of games.

From Eurobet.it’s perspective, meanwhile, being the first Italian operator to host Swintt’s state-of-the-art titles will cement the platform’s status as the go-to online casino destination for Italian players while also adding another top tier software studio to its extensive collection of providers.

David Mann, Chief Executive Officer at Swintt, said: “Having only launched with Eurobet.it at the end of October, we’ve been really encouraged by the reception our Elysium Studios titles have received from Italian players and work is already underway to roll out our next round of releases.

“With both A Hopping Kiss and Enigma of Egypt ear-marked to launch on the platform in the coming months, our ongoing partnership with Eurobet will ensure we remain firmly in the public eye and can build on the early momentum created by our strong start to life in the Italian market.”

Claudia De Santis, Head of Gaming Integrations & Operations at Eurobet.it, said: “At Eurobet.it, our strategy focuses on distinguishing our offer by securing the market’s most innovative content first. Partnering with Swintt allows us to maintain this competitive edge. We are thrilled to be the exclusive launch partner for Swintt in Italy; adding ‘Pirate Pledge Hold & Win’ to our library reinforces our commitment to delivering premium, first-to-market experiences to our players.”

The post Swintt titles take Italy by storm following Eurobet partnership appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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David Yu Head of AM at VA Gaming

QTech Games marks another red-letter day with VA Gaming integration

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QTech Games, the leading game aggregator for all emerging markets, has announced its latest premier provider partnership with VA Gaming, allowing its platform clients access to another igaming catalogue of over 70 titles.

Integrating content from one of the more innovative and creative digital slots providers adds yet more muscle to QTech Games’ aggregation platform, which is taking the widest range of online games to emerging territories with established names sitting alongside the industry’s most exciting up-and-coming providers.

VA Gaming’s portfolio has been optimised for mobile, a cornerstone of QTech’s offering, which is founded on its fully-owned and customised technical platform, affording games providers and operators the fastest integrations available. Through this leading platform, which has sealed its definitive status as a global gaming one-stop shop, clients enjoy the best performance and customer support available, localised to every region across both developing and more mature markets.

This collaboration naturally broadens VA Gaming’s international scope, unlocking untapped regions for diversified growth, above all in Africa and Latin America, where QTech Games continues to consolidate its firm foothold.

Philip Doftvik, QTech Games’ CEO, said: “Each new integration enriches our offering, and it’s particularly rewarding to support game providers who are actively expanding into ‘margin markets’ such as Latin America and Africa. These emerging markets are enjoying an irresistible momentum at present, so we’re excited to help VA Gaming bring their popular titles to market across many previously uncharted territories for them.”

David Yu, Head of AM at VA Gaming, added:  “VA Gaming is artfully blending creativity and technology to craft unique, engaging online slots with distinctive graphics and features, generating a high-quality gaming experience. This integration is a key part of our unfolding worldwide distribution strategy, especially as we expand our focus in emerging markets, and we look forward to a long and successful collaboration.”

The post QTech Games marks another red-letter day with VA Gaming integration appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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EGT is among the main contenders for the prize in several categories at the BEGE Awards 2025

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EGT is thrilled to announce that this year it is among the finalists in 4 categories of the prestigious BEGE Awards competition, which is held annually in Sofia, Bulgaria, as part of BEGE Expo.

The company’s CEO Vladimir Dokov has been shortlisted again in the Visionary of the Year category, after being given this prize in the previous two editions of the event. He earned the nomination thanks to his strategic vision, which has positioned the company as one of the top manufacturers and suppliers of gaming equipment globally with a presence in more than 100 markets.

EGT’s slot cabinet G 50 C ST will compete for the award in the Slot Machine of the Year category. It is one of the most successful models from the General Series, which has had numerous highly successful installations in various markets around the world over the past year.

Bell Link is among the nominees for the Jackpot System of the Year accolade. With 4 exciting levels, numerous attractive bonus functionalities, and the captivating Bell Link 1 and Bell Link 2 multigames, containing some of the company’s most popular titles, this product has established itself as an absolute bestseller in EGT’s portfolio. Bell Link cemented its position as players’ favorite even further, after its first large-scale WAP installations were carried out with enormous success.

EGT’s Spider CMS will be а contender for the prize in the Casino Management System of the Year category. Continuously developing and improving, the system currently includes 15 modules that help casino managers easily and effectively to organize the daily activities in gaming venues across a number of markets around the world.

The BEGE Awards 2025 ceremony will take place on November 26 and will once again honor companies and individuals for their outstanding contribution to the gaming and entertainment industry during the past 12 months.

The post EGT is among the main contenders for the prize in several categories at the BEGE Awards 2025 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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