By bringing together the main representatives of the betting industry, government authorities, players, fans, sports governing bodies, teams and legal professionals, the main objective of the association is to protect consumers, sports leagues and other interested parties against potential fraud caused by unfair manipulation of events on which bets are offered, including match-fixing and spot-fixing.
In this sense, the association is a not-for-profit organization, designed as a collaborative entity to partner with the regulatory body, federal and state authorities and other interested parties to identify and discourage fraud, as well as other illegal or unethical activities related to betting on sports event.
In light of this, the expert group will discuss a range of issues, including the possibility of developing actions to improve communication and collaboration between sports, betting operators, policy and the governing body. These consultations will be aimed at assessing the integrity measures in place in relation to sports betting, with a view to ensuring the maximum potential for robustness, as well as the education of players, referees and any other participants associated with the sport. In this context, the main focus will be to identify and evaluate suspicious betting patterns in all Brazilian sports.
In addition, ABRADIE will also discuss the importance of introducing solid Responsible Gaming practices in all aspects covering the market, with the aim of ensuring the most effective protection for consumers. Concurrently, experts will work on implementing an action plan that will be presented to the government for its consideration.
Chris Dougan, Director of Communications at Genius Sports, Official Sports Integrity Partner of the English Premier League and founding member of ABRADIE, said: “We are thrilled to launch Brazil’s first Sports Integrity Association in order to uphold a safe and reliable betting environment for consumers across the country. We look forward to working with regulators, members of regulatory authorities, operators, sports leagues and other key stakeholders to prevent fraud and protect the integrity of sports.”
Commenting on the launch of the Association, Martin Lycka, Entain's Senior Vice President, US Regulatory Affairs and Responsible Gaming, said: "As part of Entain's ongoing commitment to operate only in well-regulated and governed markets, I am pleased to see that the industry is coming together to support the integrity of Brazilian sport and stop match-fixing. This is one of the main underlying factors in any betting regulation, including future Brazilian regulation.”
Also reinforcing the importance of launching ABRADIE, Rafael Marchetti Marcondes, legal director of Rei do Pitaco, comments: “Rei do Pitaco supports initiatives that defend sporting integrity, Responsible Gaming practices and foster sustainable growth in the sports betting market. Cases that may compromise the reputation of the sport, such as match or spot-fixing or the participation of minors as bettors, must be monitored and punished, since all participants in the betting market lose with fraudulent and criminal attitudes. Cooperation between all entities involved, public or private, is mandatory to combat activities that harm the sport, as well as its development."
“Our office is excited to launch this collaboration project with such key players in the sports and betting industry. Our focus is to protect the integrity of sport in Brazil and assist the Government, Congress and sports entities in applying international best practices to our imminent regulation of sports betting in Brazil,” said Marcos Motta, founding partner of the law firm Bichara e Motta Lawyers.
“The association is being created at a critical moment, when the Brazilian market is growing rapidly and finalizing its regulation. Protecting the integrity of sport is critical to the sports betting industry, and ABRADIE members will demonstrate their commitment to industry best practice by supporting the Government, sporting bodies and other stakeholders in protecting sport from betting-related threats of corruption. It is an honor for Maia Yoshiyasu Advogado to be part of ABRADIE," added Luiz Felipe Maia.
Source: GMB
