The youth of Swedish football are about to get a valuable lesson in integrity, in the hopes that they learn that cheating is never worth it, even if it means potentially getting several big cartoonish bags of money. Svenska Spel, the Swedish sports book, will collaborate with Swedish Elite Football (SEF) to educate players about match-fixing and integrity, reports Intergame.
This collaboration will consist of lectures delivered at The Gothia Cup, Sweden’s annual youth football tournament. Anders Wikström, a former player, said of the collaboration,“As a young player you probably have not reflected so much around match fixing; you play football because it’s fun. By highlighting the issue early on, we hope to prevent future match fixing.”
Svenska Spel’s CEO, Patrik Hofbauer, emphasized that this is a necessary step to make games safer for the players and for betters. “If gambling safety is not guaranteed, we will refrain from offering games,” he offered. “Our customers should be confident that the games we offer are decided by fair play. It is something that sport also requires from gaming companies.”
A motivating factor to offering these lectures has been a recent spell of potential corruption in Swedish football leagues. Hofbauer said that although the season is only at its midpoint, several games are under investigation for potential fixing, including a match between Kalmar and Elfsborg that took place May 26.