Call for Global Action as Macolin Convention enters into force

The Convention entered into force thanks to its ratification by Italy, Moldova, Norway, Portugal, Switzerland and Ukraine. Another 32 countries, including Australia, have also signed it. Within 12 months from the 1 September 2019, the CoE needs to set up and convene the Follow-Up Committee. The states that have ratified will be represented in the Committee.

As a vital step in the fight against corruption in sport, now is the time for global action. More countries are urged to sign and ratify the Convention as soon as possible.

Since the conceptualisation and drafting phase of the Convention, EL, GLMS and WLA have fully supported the initiative and assisted the Council of Europe (CoE) in its efforts to promote it and support states with the implementation of its provisions. National lotteries have always been historic partners of sport and EL, as a founding Member of the Global Lottery Monitoring System (GLMS), works to fight against match fixing and to safeguard these values.

EL Secretary General, Arjan van ’t Veer says, “Sharing a strong commitment to values-driven sport, the European Lotteries community is 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’’. 

GLMS President, Ludovico Calvi added: “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”.