Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir are currently being investigated by the police for alleged spot-fixing during their recent match against England at Lords.
This kind of event casts a bad light on sport, and on those individuals who are willing to alter a match for their own personal game.
It also brings the betting industry into question, and reaffirms our belief that blocking consumers' access to reputable, regulated gambling sites is a dangerous game.
After all, if consumers can't place their bets with a legal operator they will look elsewhere, and this scenario only acts to fan the flames of betting's black market, which is behind scams such as this.
It's vital for people to recognise that the legal betting market is no more connected with the illegal betting market than a high-street chemist is with the illegal drugs trade.
By giving consumers the opportunity to bet with a range of legal providers instead of limiting them to using state monopolies or even nothing at all, Governments can help in eroding the black market and thus prevent this kind of corruption from happening again.
Get in touch with your MEP to express your concerns, or sign the petition to get your voice heard.
Right2bet is fighting for the right of all European citizens to be able to bet with the licensed betting operator of their choice, and bet365 are now the latest company to have signed-up as a partner.
Other European operators already partnered with Right2bet include Betfair, Victor Chandler and Stanleybet, with the campaign also boasting strong support from consumers, media publications and consumer groups across the continent.
bet365 Chief Executive John Coates said: "We're delighted to support the right2bet campaign and their goal of ensuring a fair deal for consumers across the EU."
Right2bet spokesman Ari Last said: "We're thrilled that bet365 have pledged their support to the Right2bet campaign. Our ambition has always been to form a partner-list made up of leading organizations and individuals from across the online-gambling spectrum, and the addition of bet365 certainly goes some way to achieving this."
Visitors to the Right2bet website can sign the petition and send a letter to their MEP's as well as catch up with the latest industry news via the campaign's blog. Furthermore, the campaign also recently published its World Cup Report, research it commissioned in order to compare and analyse the prices offered by European betting monopolies, and private operators.
]]>Slumping to a new low in German - Spanish relations, the Munich authorities also threatened to fine Real €50,000 for non-compliance if they could not get their shirt changed in time.
The decision was taken to prevent German fans from seeing the branding of Austrian-based bwin, despite the online bookmaker being a legal provider licensed under EU law.
The Spanish giants had agreed to play the tribute match in honour of German legend Franz Beckenbauer, and as gesture of goodwill, had fielded a strong first eleven.
Unfortunately such a gesture could not be replicated by Bayern Munich, and their chairman Karl-Heinz Remmenigge felt compelled to apologise for the absurd actions of the German authorities:
"I very much regret this and would like to apologise to Real. We are proud that the largest football team in the world wants to play on this occasion. FC Bayern is known throughout the world for its hospitality.
"Unfortunately, we cannot be as hospitable as we would like to be. The law orders our opponent to play without their original shirt."
This embarrassing situation is yet another example of a Member State going to ridiculous length in their attempts to protect the monopoly betting operator.
We are looking for any German bettors who are frustrated with their state monopoly and want to send a message to their Government. Please get in touch through the Rant Box, send us an email, write to your MEP and crucially, sign our petition.
The French court, Tribunal de Grande Instance de Paris, ruled in favour of Arjel who are attempting to clamp down on those they deem to be illegal operators, in the wake of the country's new gambling regime.
As we've commented on in the past, in order to obtain a French license, European operators need to adhere to heavy tax requirements and also need to jump through several hoops set out by Arjel, this despite having been granted a license elsewhere in the EU.
As a result, several operators have decided against obtaining a French license - highlighted in the fact that according to Arjel's own forecasts, only a fraction of online gambling providers have applied for a license - and as a result, French consumers continue to lose out.
Several ISP's have objected to the proposal, however in light of the court's ruling they will be forced to adhere to Arjel's draconian wishes, or face a hefty penalty of €10,000 for each day they do not comply.
The ruling is another kick in the teeth for French consumers still fuming from the recent legislation which has failed to provide them with an open and fully competitive gambling market.
The idea that in this day and age, a leading country like France can begin censoring the internet is difficult to comprehend, yet such is the desire of Arjel and others to protect local providers, the PMU and FDJ, that these backwards measures are a reality.
Please assist us in our continuing fight against legislation such as this by signing our petition, by writing to your MEP and by spreading the word that the Right2bet campaign is a vehicle that all EU consumers can utilize in their efforts to secure fairness and freedom.
Controversially, the ISPs have fought back, claiming British operators Betfred and Stan James, both licensed in Gibraltar, were located in 'EU countries or in countries that have agreements with the Union'.
ISP blocking is an area already fraught with problems, with some providers commenting that blocking sites could slow down networks and that some sites may just change their domain name to sidestep the measures.
Some of the operators being blocked have not been notified of the process, with Tim Cook, General Counsel and Company Secretary for Stan James, commenting that he had 'not been made aware' that Arjel was requesting French ISPs to block access. This will make startling reading for gaming operators, with Arjel threatening fines of €100,00 a day for leaving a site open, regardless of whether it is directed at French customers.
For many, the regulator appears to have bitten off more than it can chew. Arjel is trying to regulate a global industry in 2010 like a national industry in the 90s. You can't un-invent the internet, or stop new technology. At the end of the day if EU citizens want to access an EU licensed website, why should the government think it can stop them?
Right2bet wants to hear from French customers who have been stopped from using legitimate sites and disagree with their Government on this issue. Please get in touch via the rant box or write to your MEP.
Monopoly customers wishing to back their home nation in South Africa were subjected to 35% worse odds than those being offered by the EU-licensed private sector operators that their governments do not allow them to use.
The startling figures have been revealed in the Right2bet World Cup Report which analysed the odds offered on every World Cup match by seven of Europe's biggest betting monopolies, before comparing them to the equivalent prices being offered by other licensed European operators.
The aim of the report was to investigate whether or not Europe's betting monopolies were short-changing their customers via the help of legislation which protects their existence and market dominance.
Right2bet is campaigning for the right of all European consumers to be able to bet with the licensed operator of their choice, regardless of the Member State in which they are based.
Right2bet spokesman Ari Last said: "The figures emanating from this report are quite shocking. Millions of EU consumers who wanted to bet during the World Cup were subjected to hugely inferior prices by the monopolies that their governments strive so hard to protect."
"The protectionist behaviour of certain Member States when it comes to online gambling is a situation that does not conform to the ethos of the single-market, and we hope that the findings of this report will highlight what is undoubtedly an unjust reality."
Right2bet World Cup Report key points:
• Monopolies offered their customers 32% worse odds than licensed private operators
• The 'Perfect Bettor' forced to bet with a monopoly would have made €629 less than they would have done if they were allowed to bet with other EU-licensed operators in the private sector
• On average, a monopoly customer choosing to back the 'favourite' throughout every one of the 64 tournament matches would have received 38% less value, while one who chose to back the 'outsider' throughout each game of the tournament would have received 35% less value
• Monopolies offered customers wishing to back their home nation 35% worse odds than private operators
• It is clear from the results published in this report that consumers using online gambling services in the EU are receiving significantly lower value when forced to use a state monopoly provider
Country breakdowns:
• Germany: 48% worse off
• Sweden: 40% worse off
• The Netherlands: 35% worse off
• France: 31.5% worse off
• Greece: 31% worse off
• Denmark: 14.4% worse off
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The move is an attempt to curb the huge amount of activity going on outside the licensed regime, and an acknowledgement that the number of applications for licences under new French law have been disappointing.
Despite the so-called 'controlled opening' of the online gambling market in June of this year, high taxes, set-up costs and a restricted product offering have resulted in few licensed European operators applying and as a result the options for French consumers are thing on the ground.
Back in 2008 the government predicted it would receive up to 200 applications for licences under the new regime. The figure has been revised steadily downwards to 50 earlier this year and the number of applications so far is just short of this figure. This is in stark contrast to the 2700 sites which a recent study by Francis Merlin estimated will be targeting the French market http://www.igaming-monaco.com/resources/press/3_dossjeuxilleg_fr_light.pdf. Clearly ARJEL has a very long way to go before it makes any real impression on the black market.
The lack of appetite for a French license amongst many foreign operators has fortified the positions of local monopolies the PMU and FDJ, a situation which continues to leave French punters with a distinct lack of choice and value.
Right2bet is looking to hear from French punters who want to uphold their rights under EU law and be allowed access to good odds from reputable providers. Please get in touch with us via email and do not forget to sign our petition.
Restrictive amendments to Poland's Gambling Activities Act were quickly passed in November after a corruption scandal involving government officials and casino stakeholders.
Under the new proposals, any foreign operator wishing to offer their services in Poland would have needed a local license, which only would have been granted if the applicant established significant infrastructure in the country and ran its transactions through Polish banks.
These proposals would clearly have acted as a deterrent to potential licensees and would have robbed the Polish people of a fluid and open online gambling market.
Opposition to the new laws came forth immediately from the likes of the EGBA and ourselves and we're delighted that the European Commission have recognized the flaws and injustices of the new Polish proposals and have decided to halt them in their tracks.
The Polish government now have until August 16th to decide how to respond, with our hope being that they replace the rejected legislation with proposals that will offer their citizens genuine competition, transparency and value.
In light of recent developments in Portugal the Netherlands and Sweden, the decision of the Commission to block the Polish proposals is an all too rare win for European consumers who continue to be short-changed across the continent.
It is the Commission's job to ensure that fundamental principles of the European Union are being adopted throughout all Member States, and while their inaction when it comes to online gambling has been the cause of much consternation in recent times, on this occasion at least they seem to have got their house in order.
The case originally arose after the editors of two Swedish newspapers were fined for running adverts for foreign betting sites Ladbrokes, Unibet and Expekt.
Sweden's ban on the advertising of foreign gambling sites is aimed at protecting their State monopoly Svenska Spel, which is the only operator legally allowed to offer its services to Swedish citizens.
Amazingly, Sweden claim that this frankly anti-European legislation is necessary in order to protect the public from the lures of online gambling, yet that doesn't stop them spending millions on advertising their own products each year.
It is exactly this type of hypocrisy we're trying to fight against. European consumers, not only Swedes, are continuing to lose out on better products, better customer care and better prices as a result of their governments desire to protect the revenues of the local provider.
What particularly irks us is the constant insistence by Member States - and the acceptance of it by the ECJ - that licensed, reputable private operators will put citizens at greater risk than the local provider - this despite there being absolutely no proof to back these claims up.
To us, it is quite clear the likes of Svenska Spel are being protected not for the sake of a country's citizens, but for the sake of a country's regulators and government authorities.
This is a scenario we are continuing to fight against. Help our cause by signing our petition today.
This week Malta-based online betting operator Youwin pledged their support to the right2bet campaign.
We've said it from the very start, garnering the support of consumers, consumer groups and betting operators is of paramount importance to the success of the campaign, and we're therefore delighted that Youwin have chosen to get behind right2bet.
The campaign is now fortunate enough to have over 30 official partners, and with their help we've become a powerful voice in the industry.
Our aim and ethos hasn't changed since day one. We're fighting for a consumer's right to bet freely across Europe with the licensed operator of their choice. We deplore any system that allows a monopoly to exist at the expense of the consumers it claims to serve.
Across Europe, competition in the industry is being stifled, not for the sake of the consumer, but for the sake of those governments benefiting financially from their monopoly's sheer existence - and this is a scenario we refuse to tolerate.
Youwin, like many others have decided that they identify with and support our cause, and with their help we hope to become even more effective in championing the rights of those European consumers currently having their freedoms curtailed.
If you'd like to pledge your support to the right2bet campaign then please do get in touch.
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Svenska Spel's appalling offering is due to the operator's short odds on draws, offering average odds of 2.45 on drawn matches compared to a much bigger 4.28 offered by private operators. In fact, if every match of the World Cup had been a draw so far, and you'd bet £10 each time, you would have made a mere £786 betting with Svenska Spel compared to £1370 betting with private operators. This equates to a massive increase of 74%.
Though private companies operate legally under EU Law in Sweden, future political developments look like hampering private operators in order to force people to bet through Svenska Spel. These future developments may include the Swedish government imposing advertising restrictions, IP-blocks and financial transaction blocks upon private operators.
The terrible offering by Svenska Spel, highlighted by our World Cup Odds Challenge, demonstrates the need for private operators to be encouraged in Sweden, not hampered, so that Swedish citizens can receive a fair deal.
The Right2Bet World Cup Odds Challenge is an ongoing study that compiles the odds on World Cup matches offered by state monopolies across Europe, and compares these to what's offered by EU-licensed private operators. This is in order to show the superiority of private operators' odds, in the belief that this might change the minds of governments, who have, or are thinking of, making it harder for their citizens to use private operators.
Furthermore, it is our belief that the protectionist legislation such governments propose to use is in breach of fundamental EU law, enshrined in Article 49 of the EC Treaty, which implies that EU-licensed operators have the freedom to offer their services to all EU citizens. Please show your support by signing our petition, and be sure to follow us on Twitter and Facebook to keep updated about the challenge.