U.S.-based sportsbook operators announced Thursday the formation of the Sports Wagering Integrity Monitoring Association (SWIMA), a non-profit organization that will police the industry to detect and discourage fraud and other illegal or unethical activity related to wagering on sporting events.
George Rover, who is serving as chief integrity officer for SWIMA, said the organization is modeled after ESSA, a European integrity monitoring association that has long monitored betting markets across Europe.
George Rover (center) speaks at last month’s AGA Sports Betting Summit at MGM National Harbor
Rover, a former assistant attorney general and deputy director of the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement, said SWIMA worked with ESSA in its operational rollout and will continue to partner with ESSA and other integrity monitoring groups to tackle sports betting related corruption across the globe.
“We are eager and ready to assist all stakeholders involved in the sports betting market to ensure a safe and secure betting environment for consumers across the country,” Rover said. “In partnership with gaming regulators and law enforcement officials, we are determined to help prevent fraudulent and manipulative behavior that could negatively affect the integrity of sporting event – something that does not occur with the widespread illegal sports betting market.”
SWIMA is designed as a collaborative entity to partner with state and tribal gaming regulators; federal, state and tribal law enforcement; its member sports betting operators and other various stakeholders.
Rover is responsible for the organization’s day-to-day functions. Serving on SWIMA’s Board of Trustees are Stephen Martino, chief compliance officer for MGM Resorts International and formerly the chief gaming regulator in Maryland and Kansas, and Jan Jones Blackhurst, executive vice president of public policy and corporate responsibility for Caesars Entertainment and the former Mayor of Las Vegas.
With the recent legalization of sports betting in more and more states, SWIMA’s primary goal is to establish a multi-jurisdictional reporting system to protect consumers, operators and other stakeholders from potential fraud caused by the unethical and illegal manipulation of events on which betting is offered.
SWIMA’s core objectives include providing a safe and secure betting environment for consumers by identifying unusual betting activity and other suspicious behavior related to sporting events. The organization is fully funded by sports betting operators in all U.S. markets and does not require funding from any state or the federal government, taxpayers or the sports leagues.
SWIMA works with sports betting operators, risk management professionals and gaming regulators in identifying unusual betting activity that could result in investigation by regulatory and law enforcement agencies.
Initially, 26 casino operators, sports betting operators and gaming equipment providers, make up the organization’s membership, each represented on the board of delegates.
