Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport

In May 2023, the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport and McLaren Global Sport Solutions Inc. (MGSS) co-hosted the second Canadian symposium to address competition manipulation and gambling in sport.

Building on the key recommendations from the 2019 symposium and following the legalization of single-event sport betting in Canada in 2021, experts from a variety of industries gathered to discuss the state of sports betting in Canada and around the world. The symposium examined the issue of competition manipulation using three themes – the current landscape, Canada’s response, and the international perspective. Throughout, experts emphasized that protecting athletes and sport from competition manipulation and match-fixing will require collaboration and alignment across multiple sectors, both in Canada and internationally.

The event brought together stakeholders, including athletes, national sport organizations, multisport organizations, international sport federations, national and provincial governments, sport gambling operators and regulators, professional sport leagues, integrity units, and law enforcement agencies.

The White Paper

The White Paper, entitled Competition Manipulation and Gambling: Threats to Canadian Sport and the Gaming Industry, was prepared following the symposium and summarizes the current competition manipulation landscape in Canada and explores solutions for protecting sport from the growing risk. It builds on expert perspectives and experiences shared during the two international symposiums and is intended to educate stakeholders about the threats posed by competition manipulation and to recommend risk-mitigation strategies.

• Download the White Paper
• Download the Executive Summary

The White Paper serves as a follow up to the 2019 White Paper that was issued following the 2019 Symposium on Match Manipulation and Gambling in Sport.

Key Recommendations

The White Paper presents the following key recommendations that were informed by the information shared at the 2023 symposium and are based on our growing understanding of the best methods to address the threat of competition manipulation in sport.

1. Develop a national policy for Canadian sport to address competition manipulation that is inclusive of all stakeholders, developed in consultation with athletes, adopted by all national and multi-sport organizations, and administered by an independent body. 
2. Develop comprehensive educational programming that is targeted at athletes, coaches, and other participants to protect them from the harms caused by competition manipulation and to inform them of their responsibilities under the national competition manipulation policy.
3. Create a national working group to advise on the administration of a national policy, share regulation and policy best practices, harmonize the administration of the national policy across Canada, and provide direct lines of communication among all stakeholders, including national and multi-sport organizations, all provincial sport gambling regulators, law enforcement, legal, government, and betting operators.
4. Develop a revenue sharing system from the proceeds of sport gambling that ensures an appropriate percentage of revenue is allotted to sport, with an emphasis on community sport development and harm reduction.
5. Encourage the Government of Canada to sign and ratify the Macolin Convention to prevent, detect, and punish match fixing.