The Global Lottery Monitoring System (GLMS) is the lotteries’ integrity body with the primary aim of detecting and analysing suspicious betting activities that could question the integrity of a sport competition. As a founding member of GLMS, EL works to fight against match fixing and to safeguard the values and the integrity of sport. In this interview we ask GLMS General Secretary Giancarlo Sergi and Deputy General Secretary Vagelis Alexandrakis to reflect on this year’s success for Sport Integrity.
Looking back at an eventful year, what has been the greatest achievement for GLMS?
General Secretary Giancarlo Sergi (GS): During 2019 GLMS has a lot of achievements to look back on. We are indeed proud of many of our activities. Some of the biggest highlights included new members joining the Alliance to support our important work, the decision to open a third hub which will ensure a 24/7 monitoring coverage, and at the beginning of 2019 we organised in coordination with the IOC a successful educational event. Members had the chance to interact with numerous sport stakeholders present. Lastly, we improved our information sharing with the launch of a new website which constitutes a real resource and should be consulted by everyone interested in relevant matters. I would like to invite everyone to visit us and follow our activities at www.glms-sport.org.
What other highlights have there been for GLMS?
Deputy General Secretary Vagelis Alexandrakis (VA): A highlight of 2019 for the global integrity movement, was the entry into force of the Council of Europe Convention on Sport Competition Manipulations in September 2019, in which GLMS worked closely with EL and WLA.
In 2019 we had the chance to participate in key events and disseminate key messages about the lotteries to a world-wide audience. We organised a successful General Assembly in Antwerp during the 10th EL Congress. We have been also successfully partnering key projects in the field, like KCOOS+, IntegriSport and the new Integriball project that will be launched in January 2020. At the same time, we had an active participation in key fora, such as the EU Expert group on Sports Integrity. We were also happy to see members using our education and prevention tools and we hope that these will be further used in the future.
What has been the biggest challenge and how did you overcome it?
GS: Acquiring new members is always a significant objective for us. In 2019 we had the chance to welcome new lottery members such as SAZKA (Czech Republic) and OLG (Canada) as well as a new associate member, IGT, following the addition of SGI and INTRALOT in 2018. We constantly make a huge effort to acquire new individual members from all over the world. We really hope in the year to come to be able to welcome more individual members within our GLMS family. It is of significance that lotteries across the world, in line with their core mission and values, join our alliance, and benefit from all our services.
What do you see as the value that GLMS continues to offer to EL and its members?
VA: GLMS can indeed represent a great value for all EL members. Apart from the intelligence system that can help them safeguard the integrity of sports, but also the integrity of their operations, GLMS makes education and prevention tools available, as well as a key information network so that lotteries can stay up to date with all key developments in the policy and regulatory field.
At the same time, the GLMS Code of Conduct on Sports Betting can be of huge value and support for EL and its members when it comes to developing a responsible and sustainable sports betting offer. Indeed, I second Giancarlo on encouraging members offering sports betting (fixed odds or toto) to join this global alliance of lotteries that have joined forces in order to safeguard sport values and the credibility of sports, fully in line with their core mission.
What are your specific priorities for the coming months and years?
GS: As mentioned above, GLMS will be growing with a new hub where we will have to ensure that everything will be developed in a smooth and effective way, while constantly trying to enhance all our services and notably our intelligence work will be – as always – a priority. Acquiring new members will also be one of our greatest priorities for the next year.
Vagelis, you will be sadly leaving the Association at the end of the year. What has been your personal highlight during your time at GLMS?
VA: Contributing to making GLMS a sustainable, fast-moving, well-respected and well-visible organisation, with a strong administration and a strong voice is something that I consider as a significant achievement. Having been involved in the creation of GLMS since its conceptualisation phase, I am extremely proud to now see GLMS thriving and being well respected by members, partners and stakeholders. As I am now in the phase of moving on with my career, I wish GLMS (and the whole lottery community) best of luck and all the success on all its future projects and activities.
To conclude: What is your message to the lottery community this holiday season?
Both: We wish to the whole lottery community across the globe a year full of prosperity and integrity!
