Game Over: UNODC Reveals Link Between Corruption in Sport and Organized Crime

Vienna, 21 October^st2024 – UN Conference of the Parties to the Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (COP) aims to improve the understanding, capacity and coordination of States Parties to combat such crimes.

The UNODC Program on Protecting Sport from Corruption and Economic Crime organized the side event “Game Over: Exposing the Links between Corruption and Organized Crime in Sport” on the margins of the Conference. The main aim of the event was to raise awareness about the threat posed to sports by organized crime.

New Release: Game Over report

A new UNODC report was announced during the side event: Game Over: Exposing the links between corruption, serious crime and organized crime in sport.”

The report includes case studies and practical evidence-based recommendations to support global efforts to combat the infiltration of sport by organized crime groups. Contributions came from 90 experts from 32 countries, as well as 13 representatives from 11 organizations.

Three key takeaways from the report:

1. Organized crime groups are taking advantage of sport’s low-risk, high-reward environment through illegal activities such as competition manipulation, illegal betting and athlete exploitation. These activities range from the local to the international level and affect both amateur and professional sports.
2. Criminal justice authorities should work closely with sports organizationsShare intelligence and develop specialized skills to tackle complex problems such as illegal betting and competition manipulation.
3. More action is needed Improving regulatory frameworks, tightening controls in high-risk areas such as athlete transfers and sports betting, and improving data collection.

UNODC will continue to advance research into the link between corruption in sport and other crimes, drawing on past experience and international best practice to develop solutions that protect the integrity of sports.

Expert Panel Discussion

Following the release of the new publication, experts and senior officials from UNODC, Australian Sports Integrity, Independent Commission Against Corruption (Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China), South African Police Service, National Crime Agency (UK) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (United States) made a series of presentations.

The presentations provided valuable information on the ways organized crime infiltrates sport, particularly through illegal betting, competition manipulation and money laundering.

The discussion highlighted common global challenges in recognizing and combating these threats, particularly the cross-border nature of such crimes, including insider leaks.

Additionally, the expert panel discussed how new technologies facilitate these illegal activities and emphasized the urgent need for stronger legislation and better cooperation between law enforcement agencies.