Almost 600 Match-Fixing Alerts Reach UK Gambling Commission Each Year

The UK Gambling Commission receives almost 600 reports of suspected match-fixing and sports corruption every year. Tomorrow, the government prepares to strengthen its international response to the problem.

The regulator confirmed that there was an increase of 28% to reports to its Sports Betting Intelligence Unit, from 2024 to 2025.

While football and tennis account for the largest number of concerns, the Commission says potential threats are also emerging in darts, table tennis and esports.

These figures emerge just as the House of Lords prepares to debate the UK's ratification of the Macolin Convention tomorrow, 15 September.

Match-Fixing Reports Rise 28%

John Pierce, director of enforcement at the Gambling Commission, told the House of Lords International Agreements Committee that the regulator was seeing an increase in information received about potential corruption.

‘We are seeing just under 600 reports annually coming into the Gambling Commission where there are concerns about match fixing or potential corruption associated with sport.'

The Commission's latest published figures show that 587 unusual or suspicious betting reports were submitted during the 12 months from April 2025 to March 2026. That compares with 501 during the previous 12 month period.

However, evidence presented to the Lords committee showed a 28% increase when comparing reports across the Commission's 2024 and 2025 reporting periods.

Importantly, a suspicious betting report does not necessarily mean that match-fixing has taken place. Rather, reports alert the Commission to unusual activity, that then requires further assessment or intelligence gathering.

Why Are Lower-Level Sports at Risk?

The committee found that lower levels of sport can be particularly vulnerable to manipulation.

Evidence heard during its investigation suggested that those attempting to corrupt sporting events have also become increasingly sophisticated in both the way they recruit participants and place bets without attracting attention.

Lower-tier competitions can present particular risks because:

• Participants may earn less money
• Events receive considerably less scrutiny than major professional fixtures

The government also told the committee that there had been a significant increase in reports involving the lower tiers of sport.

However, it stressed that the prominence of football and tennis in the figures partly reflects the sheer popularity and volume of betting on those sports, rather than indicating widespread corruption.

It’s important to remember that match manipulation does not always involve fixing the final result of a game. It can also involve deliberately influencing a much smaller event within a match. This could be a player receiving a yellow card, where that event can itself form the basis of a betting market.

What Is the Macolin Convention?

The Macolin Convention is an international agreement designed specifically to combat the manipulation of sporting competitions.

Created by the Council of Europe, it aims to improve cooperation between governments, gambling regulators, sports governing bodies, bookmakers, and law enforcement agencies.

The UK signed the convention in December 2018. However, despite already implementing many of its requirements, we have still not formally ratified it. The government now intends to complete that process in 2026.

Ratification would put some of the UK's existing cooperation with other countries on a more formal footing. This would make it easier to exchange information and intelligence when suspected manipulation crosses international borders.

It would also give the UK representation on the convention's Follow-up Committee, allowing it to participate in future policy surrounding sports corruption.

The House of Lords International Agreements Committee has backed the move, describing ratification as an important step towards protecting sporting integrity. A debate on the convention is scheduled for Tuesday, September 15.