The UK Gambling Commission has called on sports bodies and the betting industry to work together more to protect the integrity of sports betting – but has for the moment ruled out the banning of certain types of bets or imposing a levy on bookmakers.

An official report has recommended the creation of a specialist betting integrity unit under the auspices of the UK’s Gambling Commission, and called on the government to address the ‘thorny’ issue of the betting industry’s contribution towards enhanced integrity controls.

As the UK’s bookmakers bolster their trading teams and enjoy a surge in online interest for in-play betting there are indications that a regulatory re-think may soon be called for.

The Gambling Commission has published a consultation document on in-running (in-play) betting. The consultation is essentially an evidence and opinion gathering exercise, designed to assist the Commission in deciding whether in-running wagering requires further, specific regulation above other forms of betting due to perceived integrity and player protection concerns.

As the Wimbledon tournament gets underway today, following weekend reports in the British press of suspected past match-fixing at the event, tennis authorities are weighing a list of more than a dozen specific recommendations by experts to combat the dangers of possible betting-related corruption in the sport.

Casinos in the UK will be obliged to enhance a range of customer verification and reporting policies in order to comply with new money laundering regulations designed to bring the UK into line with the EU’s Third Money Laundering Directive.

Five professional footballers accused of betting on a game involving their teams could face life bans if they are proved to have breached Football Association rules.

The European Sports Security Association (ESSA), set up by online betting companies to detect possible corruption, favours the creation of a global disciplinary body, akin to the Word Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), to maintain the integrity of sport.

Football authorities face breaking data protection laws as they fight the widening problem of match-fixing in European football, a senior member of UEFA has warned.

Professional tennis bodies must implement an anti-corruption programme to combat threats to the integrity of the game, an independent review recommended yesterday.The report also proposed that tennis, together with other sports, considers creating a ‘right to bet’ to be sold to bookmakers.