The Malta Gaming Authority signs data sharing agreement with ICC to tackle match-fixing
The regulatory authority that has a pivotal position in the gaming industry – the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA), recently signed a data sharing agreement with the International Cricket Council (ICC). According to the agreement, MGA and ICC will share data to solve the problem of combatting match-fixing and other types of manipulation in sports. The ICC is the international governing body of cricket and is made up of over 100 national governing bodies from around the world, and is responsible for the management of cricket sports, including: hosting tournaments, supervising tournament rules, and coordinating action against corruption and match fixing through the Integrity Unit.
For this cooperation with ICC, MGA’s Sports Integrity Manager, Antonio Zerafa stated that the data sharing agreement with ICC represents MGA’s firm commitment to combat match-fixing and other types of manipulation in sports. In fact, according to the content of this agreement, MGA and ICC will be allowed to share important data related to the detecting process in order to prevent and investigate activities related to the manipulation of sports events.
With the Covid-19 pandemic spread around the world, cricket matches have been suspended due to the outbreak. In this regard, the ICC recommends that cricketers players stay alert during this period, especially when interacting with followers on social media platforms. Alex Marshall, ICC General Manager – Anti-corruption, pointed out to the media that the unit hopes to make players aware that even if the event is cancelled or postponed, this does not mean that the organized criminal groups will take less action. He also added that because the event was cancelled, it may cause a decrease in player’s income, which may make some lower-paid professional players more vulnerable to temptation.
Alex Marshall emphasized that the Covid-19 pandemic may temporarily suspend the cricket events around the world, but criminal groups attempting to manipulate the event are still active. Therefore, ICC will continue to work with members, players, player unions and agents. ICC has discovered that many criminal groups use this opportunity, but players have more time to use social media than ever before, so the criminal groups try to contact them and establish a relationship that can be used in the future. The T20 Cricket World Cup originally scheduled to be held in Australia in October 2020 has not yet been announced whether it will be postponed or cancelled. But it is worth noting that Australia is currently implementing a comprehensive travel ban and lockdown.
