Olympics Proactive in Preventing Gambling Scandals
The International Olympic Committee has taken note of the gambling scandals that have rocked the National Basketball Association and the Association of Tennis Professionals, and is taking steps to see that the Olympics are not similarly tarnished by gamblers fixing events.
The IOC has retained Early Warning Systems, a Swiss company that works in association with international soccer body FIFA, monitors over 200 online casinos and betting agencies, watching for suspicious and unusual wagering patterns.
The IOC is also demanding all participants, judges, coaches, and even journalists sign a contract agreeing not to participate in gambling activities nor to promote gambling in any way during the Olympic Games.
Still, some feel that the measures are not enough. Betfair, the online gambling organization registered in the United Kingdom, has assisted soccer and tennis officials in the past in spotting potential gambling influences on matches, and Betfair officials say more transparency is needed.
While Betfair provides customer account details and betting histories when shady circumstances arise, Early Warning Systems receives most of its information from agencies on an anonymous basis.
Andrew Twaits, Betfair's director of corporate and business affairs, said, "Gambling-related corruption is a big threat to sport's integrity as long as there are wagering operators who either don't know or won't say who is betting on particular events."
Online casino operators are expecting a big bump in sports gambling during the two-week window of the Olympic Games, and host China is noted as an avid gambling country, with over $100 billion gambled annually by Chinese citizens.
