On the 11th of June 2019, the Ambassador Michele Giacomelli, Permanent Representative of Italy to the Council of Europe, deposited the instruments of ratification of the Council of Europe Convention on the Manipulation of Sports Competitions (Macolin Convention), during a ceremony at the Palais de l’Europe with Deputy Secretary General Gabriella Battaini-Dragoni. On such occasion, he stressed the firm commitment of the Italian authorities in a sector that is gaining increasingly importance for the Council of Europe.
Italy is one of the first countries to ratify the Convention, along with Norway, Poland, Republic of Moldova, Switzerland and Ukraine.
- The Convention calls on governments to adopt measures, including legislation, namely:
- Prevent conflicts of interest in sports betting operators and sports organisations;Encourage the sports betting regulatory authorities to fight against fraud, if necessary by limiting the supply of sports bets or suspending the taking of bets ;
- Fight against illegal sports betting, allowing to close or restrict access to the operators concerned and block financial flows between them and consumers.
Sports organisations and competition organisers are also required to adopt and implement stricter rules to combat corruption, sanctions and proportionate disciplinary and dissuasive measures in the event of offences, as well as good governance principles. The Convention also provides safeguards for informants and ‟whistleblowersˮ.
