CCPR is asking the gaming industry to fund the establishment of ‘robust and effective’ measures to protect sport from corrupt and fixed betting activity.

The call comes as research from the Centre for the Study of Gambling at the University of Salford, funded by CCPR, found that the sports betting market increased in value to £38bn in 2006.

In light of the results the CCPR is asking the gaming industry to share information about suspicious patterns with sport’s governing bodies and to make all organisations aware of the acute risks betting poses to their sport.

“It is in the best long-term interests of the industry to ensure that sport remains free of corruption, otherwise the confidence of customers will be eroded,” said a spokesperson for CCPR.

The research revealed not only an increase in the market’s volume but in competition between bookmakers and in the number options available for customers such as exchanges, index, in-play betting and wagering through the internet.

All these have the potential to affect incentives for athletes and officials to participate in ‘fixing’, especially in the absence of appropriate action by sports governing bodies, regulators and government to address new threats, said a CCPR spokesperson.

“One of the best ways the industry can ensure that sport is protected is by contributing to the costs governing bodies incur to maintain integrity.

“By providing a realistic contribution to the extra measures required, the betting industry will be making an investment in its own future, as well as that of sport,” explains the CCPR.