ESSA praises UK-France anti-corruption collaboration

ESSA has praised a joint effort by the UK and France to tackle sports corruption and match-fixing through illegal and irregular sports betting.

Last week, the British and French governments agreed to share expertise and best practice to help clamp down on such issues in professional sport.

Matt Hancock, Secretary of state for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport in the UK, signed off on the deal with French Sports Minister Laura Flessel.

ESSA, which has memorandum of understanding with both the UK Gambling Commission and French regulator ARJEL, has now openly praised both sets of governments for their commitment to tackling corruption in sport.

“Both countries have put integrity as a priority issue and have developed what are widely regarded as best practice models in this area,” ESSA said in a statement.

“The move further strengthens their information sharing protocols and can only benefit the integrity of their respective betting markets and sporting events.

“ESSA encourages other nations to follow the example of the UK and France and place international cooperation and information sharing at the forefront of their betting integrity policies.”