A recent conference organised by Swedish operator Svenska Spel and the Swedish Sports Confederation revealed that while match-fixing is decreasing in men’s football, criminals are increasingly targeting other sports such as women’s football.
Writing in his blog post from the event in Solna last Thursday, Patrick Hoffbauer, president and CEO of Svenska Spel, relayed comments from Per Engström, chief superintendent at the Swedish Police’s National Board, who said that cases of matc-fixing in men’s football are down on previous figures.
Hoffbauer added: “However, the police have information and indications that the criminals are now threatening other sports.
“We also see that playing women's football is increasing. We at Svenska Spel have therefore been out during the spring and met all the clubs in the women's league and the elite league in order to provide preventive information about the risks and where they can turn for questions.”
Hoffbauer said match-fixing “large parts” of the Swedish population when factoring in relatives of those directly impacted.
“At a time when society is grappling with major challenges linked to organised crime, it is particularly relevant that crime does not have a hold on sport,” he said. “To prevent that, all good forces must come together, which is exactly what we did last week in Solna.”
Hoffbauer said almost 100 people attended the event including representatives from the Swedish Gambling Authority, Swedish politics and the wider Swedish gambling industry.
