News 6 September 2016

Gambling Commission: No action necessary on in-play betting

Great Britain’s Gambling Commission has reiterated that in-play betting poses no more of a risk to the integrity of sport than more ‘traditional’ forms of betting, concluding that no further regulation is required. ‘Despite the concerns raised about the risks to integrity from in-play betting, there is limited evidence to show that the risks are greater than those associated with pre-event betting’, read the Gambling Commission’s Position Paper on In-Play Betting. ‘We do have the power to impose such restrictions, but based on the available evidence we maintain our position that such methods are not warranted at this time’.

The Position Paper highlighted that in-play betting now accounts for over one-third of online betting gross gaming yield (GGY – i.e. money retained by licensed gambling operators). In 2016, the Gambling Commission reported an online GGY was £3.6 billion, meaning that licensed operators now take £1.2 billion per year from online in-play betting.

‘There is the potential for individuals to exploit in-play betting for criminal or otherwise inappropriate gain’, reads the Position Paper. ‘However, other forms of betting also have similar potential for exploitation’.

The Position Paper also outlined that the Gambling Commission does not consider ‘courtsiding’ an offence under the Gambling Act 2005, however said that it may breach the entry conditions of sporting events. ‘Courtsiding’ involves using or transmitting information from a live sporting event in order to benefit from any delay between the live action and TV/data feeds in order to profit on the betting markets.

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