Lottery community calls for global action as Macolin Convention historically enters into force

The Global Lottery Monitoring System (Glms), the World Lottery Association (Wla) and The European Lotteries Association (El) urge more countries around the world to sign and ratify the Council of Europe Convention on Sports Competition Manipulations (Macolin Convention) as soon as possible.

As a vital step in the fight against corruption in sport, now is the time for global action. The global lottery community welcomes the entry into force of this ground-breaking Convention on 1 September 2019. As the only legally binding international treaty promoting global co-operation to tackle the manipulation of sports competitions, the Macolin Convention's entering into force is an historic milestone for fair play and integrity in sport. The Convention covers all topics relative to the fight against match-fixing including: national and international cooperation; the sharing of information; national platforms; criminal provisions; whistle-blowers protection; education and prevention; conflicts of interest; and measures against illegal sports betting. Since the conceptualisation and drafting phase of the Convention, the global lottery community – through Glms, the Wla, and El – has fully supported the initiative and assisted the Council of Europe in its efforts to promote the Convention and support states with the implementation of its provisions. The work must now begin on the Convention’s implementation and the establishment of the Follow-Up Committee, and concrete measures against corruption in sports must be taken forthwith. Glms President, Ludovico Calvi has stated: “We are delighted to finally see the Convention entering into force. We now need to focus on its implementation as well as the preparation of the activities of the Follow-Up Committee. In the upcoming phase, GLMS is very much looking forward to further supporting the Council of Europe with the promotion of the Convention and all on-going and upcoming relevant work streams, such as the setting-up of the Follow-Up Committee, the initiatives of the Group of Copenhagen and the Kcoos+ project”. Supporting Ludovico's statement, Jean-Luc Moner-Banet, Chair of the Wla Sports Betting Integrity Committee said, “This is indeed an historical day for many of us. The Convention will no doubt play a vital role in eradicating match-fixing, a phenomenon that jeopardises the very credibility and inspirational value of sports. On behalf of Wla and its members, I urge states across the globe to proceed with its ratification and the implementation of its provisions. We also call upon states to set up national platforms and take concrete measures against illegal sports betting, as required by the Convention”. Finally, El Secretary General, Arjan van't Veer adds "Sharing a strong commitment to values-driven sport, the European Lotteries community is also delighted to welcome this development. This Convention is of key importance since - apart from providing clear guidelines on how a state can globally combat this phenomenon - it also delivers for the first time a clear legal basis for the fight against illegal sports betting, which is indispensable for the effective implementation of all provisions of the Convention. We urge more European states to sign and ratify the Convention as soon as possible to protect athletes and society as a whole".