The Council of Europe has always been at the forefront of efforts to safeguard the integrity of sport, be it in notably addressing violence, doping or the manipulation of sports competitions.

In September 2019, the “Convention on the Manipulation of Sports Competitions” (Macolin Convention, CETS No. 215) came into force. According to its Article 3 "illegal sports betting" is defined as any sports betting activity where the type or operator is not allowed under the applicable law of the jurisdiction where the consumer is located. This definition aligns with legislative developments in most countries worldwide, particularly in Europe whether based on a licensing system, exclusive right, or prohibition.

Unfortunately, the phenomenon of illegal betting evolved significantly in recent years. Once marginal, these activities have attracted organised crime for over 15 years, moving beyond traditional crimes, such as drug or human trafficking, and laundering money across all continents. Having a reliable estimation of the size of this illicit market is naturally a challenge, but some have estimated that it represents close to 1 000 billion Euros in stakes. Furthermore, the modus operandi of this criminality is diverse, making it hard to grasp the threat's nature.

The primary goal of this conference will be to deepen the understanding of illegal betting to enable more effective international cooperation and action.Its organisation is supported by the "Addressing Competitions' Manipulation Together (ACT)" project and the Marocaine des Jeux et des Sports.

• Raising awareness and achieving active engagement of stakeholders on one of the most topical and crucial issues in combatting the manipulation of sports competitions.
• Delivering an initial operational action plan for joint efforts against illegal betting.