FIFA, in collaboration with the United Nations on Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), has launched the Global Integrity Programme – a comprehensive international programme aimed at providing all 211 member associations with enhanced knowledge and tools to fight and prevent match manipulation.

In line with FIFA’s overall vision of making football truly global, as well as its ongoing commitment to protecting and promoting the integrity of the game, the FIFA Global Integrity Programme is designed to improve education and build integrity capacity within all 211 member associations by sharing advanced know-how and resources with integrity officers. The programme also reflects the UNODC’s objective of supporting governments and sports organisations in their efforts to safeguard sport from corruption and crime.

With the objective of setting up successful and sustainable integrity and anti-corruption initiatives at local level, the new programme is organised regionally per confederation and includes a series of three-module virtual workshops to be delivered to all FIFA member associations. The first edition of the programme, dedicated to the member associations from the Asian Football Confederation, started with the first module on 4 March and will continue with the second module on 16 March.

Speaking about the FIFA Global Integrity Programme, FIFA President Gianni Infantino said: “Match-fixing is an issue that is very real and threatens the integrity and credibility of football in many countries around the world. Working in close collaboration with experts at the UNODC and alongside other ongoing efforts that FIFA is taking, the FIFA Global Integrity Programme is another important step by FIFA to protect the integrity of football and will play an important role in educating and building capacity within member associations to help fight match-fixing at a local level.”

Alongside the FIFA Global Integrity Programme, FIFA has also announced today that it will shortly be launching the FIFA Integrity Officers Community Platform. This will be the first-ever community-driven online platform dedicated exclusively to integrity officers across all member associations and confederations worldwide. This confidential platform will bring together a global network of integrity officers to share their experience and exchange best practice related to preventing and fighting match manipulation and promoting integrity in football.

FIFA’s Global Integrity Programme is in line with The Vision 2020-2023: Making Football Truly Global, which reaffirms FIFA’s commitment to fighting match manipulation by implementing integrity initiatives and reporting mechanisms, as well as setting up dedicated educational programmes. As part of its ongoing integrity initiatives, FIFA signed a memorandum of understanding with the UNODC in September 2020 to step up their joint cooperation to address the threats posed by crime to sport.

LeoVegas is teaming up with Italian football club AS Roma, becoming its official Online Infotainment Partner. 

The deal, which runs until the end of the 2021/22 Serie A season, will see LeoVegas’ logo appear pitchside during home matches at the Stadio Olimpico while Roma fans will be able to access featured promotions across the LeoVegas platforms. 

Commenting on the partnership LeoVegas.News head of marketing, Adele Incerti, said: “LeoVegas.News was created with the aim of giving football fans exclusive and entertaining content. We are proud of this new partnership with AS Roma, not only because it allows us to add to the quality of our offering but because it also allows us to work alongside one of the biggest teams in Italian football and further gain the trust of our public, positioning us as an infotainment service that stands out for the quality of its content.”

While AS Roma commercial director, Giorgio Brambilla, added: “It is a great pleasure to welcome LeoVegas.News into our team of partners. The club is always on the lookout for new opportunities, both to distribute its content to a wider audience and to offer fans new avenues for entertainment. This partnership with LeoVegas fulfils both of these objectives, allowing us to work closely with a brand that is so focused on the passion of football fans.”

Staying with LeoVegas, yesterday we reported the group had acquired Expect Nordics from Betclic Group for €5M. 

Parimatch, Juventus’s official betting partner, has launched a brand-new global video campaign featuring top Juventus stars: Arthur Melo, Luiz Da Silva Danilo, Alvaro Morata, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Wojciech Szczesny. 

The campaign is infused with Parimatch’s yellow electric impulses and aims to increase brand awareness among the football club’s fans. The campaign highlights the transition into the online era.

The partnership of Juventus and Parimatch is beyond a signed contract. This collaboration is the fusion of two energies, two strong teams, two brands. The power of Juventus is in its remarkable history, a long list of titles, traditions, and unwavering support of millions of fans. The power of Parimatch is in its boldness, youth, ambition, and the absence of barriers.

Ivan Liashenko, CMO at Parimatch, said: “For the last 6 months, we have been watching the partnership of two strong brands providing great entertainment to millions of fans all over the world. Step by step, we are strengthening our partnership and are delighted to see the explosive cocktail created by the complementing energies of Juventus and Parimatch. The connection of outstanding football players representing one of the strongest clubs in the world with Parimatch’s energy and boldness is truly a sight to be seen.”

The creators produced this campaign despite the limitations of the worldwide lockdown. Thanks to the professionalism and efforts of both teams, this commercial could come to life and bring such a legendary team closer to the audience. The partnership of Parimatch and Juventus has proven that anything is possible.

“This new collaboration between Juventus and Parimatch is an excellent example of a campaign being created under extreme quarantine restrictions. Despite this, we tried to convey each player’s emotions and charisma in the shades of our brand. I believe that Juventus and Parimatch make a great team, and the video encapsulates the synergy of our raw energies and power perfectly” says Kateryna Amirkhamova, CCO at Parimatch.

The spot was shot by the Ukrainian production house Electric Sheep Film. The directors working on the film were Andrei Copots and Macar Severin. The filming of the spot was carried out by Nikita Kuzmenko, an experienced cameraman who previously worked with Katy Perry and Cardi B. The music was created by Eugeniy Filatov, also known as “The Maneken” – a famous Ukrainian composer and sound producer of ONUKA band.

Electric Sheep Film also carried out the final visualization in collaboration with massa+ motion design boutique.

Staying with Parimatch, as reported yesterday, the operator has now become the first officially licensed bookmaker in Ukraine. 

As Ukraine successfully starts legalization of the country’s gambling business — regulated in  line with European gambling market standards — Parimatch has received the first official bookmaker license. 

After having an 11-year blind spot, the state finally got round to gambling market regulation,  following the example of European countries. The state will redirect funds generated from the  sale of licenses to the budget in support of social needs: healthcare, education, sports, culture,  and other areas. 

As the gambling industry leader in the CIS countries, Parimatch holding continues to expand  its presence in the region and is preparing for a full-fledged launch on the territory of Ukraine. 

“We are the first on the market not only in quality of services and level of technological  development but also in compliance with the rules of a transparent business environment.  Parimatch was born in Ukraine, and we are happy to finally officially return and help develop  the industry in our home country. Legalization of the gambling business will help Ukraine  generate funds for the budget and distribute them where they are always needed — for social  needs.” — Sergey Portnov, CEO of Parimatch, commenting on the commission’s decision.

Legalization of the gambling market in Ukraine opens up prospects for foreign investment,  subject to tax legislation reform. At this stage, the cost of licenses along with taxation is the  highest in Europe and doesn’t promise the most attractive investment conditions in the newly  emerging legal-betting market. If the government meets the market halfway and completes tax legislation, Ukraine will unleash its potential as an Eastern European gambling hub, like  Malta or Manila. 

“The Parimatch company was originally founded in Ukraine, and we’ve finally come back! This  is a particular challenge and significant responsibility for us, so we will provide the Ukrainian  audience with the best the gambling industry can give the player. Ukraine has great potential to become the leading platform in the Eastern European market,  and we are ready to make this concept a reality,” said Natalia Gilevich, CEO of Parimatch UA.

Bosnian sports betting software supplier NSoft announced a partnership with Peruvian betting operator Apuesta Total. 

The deal covers the integration of NSoft’s virtual games – both draw-based games and virtual races.

Commenting on the agreement, Carlos Vargas, Regional Sales Manager at NSoft, said: “We have integrated nine of our games into Apuesta Total’s web. We are aware of the potential that this integration brings. On a few occasions, NSoft and Apuesta Total’s representatives were talking business, and I am pleased to be the one to bring the negotiations to an end.

“In general, the punters in LATAM find our Roulette game especially compelling, and we are certain that it will be an eye-catcher at Apuesta Total’s web offer as well.”

While Apuesta Total’s COO, Gonzalo Merino, added: “We’re very enthusiastic about adding NSoft’s world class games to our online portfolio. These games bring a unique experience to our players, and will allow us to further consolidate our online casino as the market leader. We are sure our player engagement will increase with games such as Lucky 6 and Next 6. Welcome NSoft to Apuesta Total.”

NSoft’s numbers betting games – Lucky Six, Next Six, Keno and Roulette, together with race games – Dog Races, Virtual Greyhound Races, Virtual Horse Races, Virtual Motorcycle Races and Slot Car Races are now available to Apuesta Total’s punters.

UK online bookmaker Star Sports has integrated LVision’s Betting & Animation Widget, with the aim of boosting customer turnover and player engagement. 

The product, which utilises LVision’s proprietary AI algorithms and historical data, serves as a unique live match tracker, converting broadcasts into meaningful data and high-quality sports visualisations, giving players real-time in-play odds and unparalleled insights. 

Star Sports says it will be initially launching the AI-driving widget with tennis, but plans to add more sports later this year. According to LVision, some of its clients have seen session times and engagement levels increase by up to 65% from using the product.

The partnership will also give Star Sports access to LVision’s BetBooster insights which are integrated into the widget. BetBooster is a fully automated, data-driven service based on historical data, live incidents, and AI analysis, covering both pre-match and in-play across soccer, tennis and basketball and stands at an average of 20 million insights per year.

Ido Lazar, Founder and CEO of LVision, said: “I’m really excited to make our debut in the UK with Star Sports that has built a reputation as one of the leading sportsbook brands in the market.

“I’m thrilled they have chosen to integrate our leading data-driven tennis product and I’m sure their valued customers will benefit from a unique betting experience that takes sport to new levels.”

Luke Tarr, Head of PR, Star Sports, said: “The tennis season got off to a great start with a very exciting Australian Open but, with the addition of LVision’s new Betting & Animation Widget, our customers now have access to a unique and stimulating tennis experience making it the ideal complementary product to betting on live events across 2021.”

Staying with LVision, earlier this year the company announced a partnership with South America, Spain, and Portugal-focused betting operator Rivalo. 

AYO.NEWS says:

Gone are the days when providing great odds, live betting, and streaming was enough to compete in the hyper-competitive online sports betting market. These days, the information-first generations want whole new layers of engagement, and they have to be easy-to-use and look cool. Luckily, there’s an increasing number of companies, like LVision, are harnessing the power of AI to provide just this. The adoption of these services is sure to be one of the major trends of 2021.