According to a report in the Guardian newspaper, the Westminster meeting will be the first at which games organisers have officially discussed strategies for handling illicit gambling with local betting agencies.
Although the agenda for the meeting has not yet been disclosed, officials from both parties are expected to address the way in which they plan to deal with suspected illegal activity and communicate it to one another.

Spot-fixing

High-profile examples of spot-fixing – such as the Pakistan cricketers convicted over incidents at 2010 test match against England – have led many to believe that the Olympic Games will be susceptible to similar activities.
The Times of India writes that the summit will be headed by the International Olympic Committee’s head of ethics, Paquerette Girard Zappelli, the lead lawyer on betting and doping at the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games, Kendrah Potts, and head of regulation at the Gambling Commission, Nick Tofiluk.

Exclusive comment

The London meeting follows exclusive comment a fortnight ago in The Global Lawyer, in which two leading sports law experts warned that the games present a lucrative potential opportunity fraud and corruption. (see 16 March 2012, p12).