The most powerful governing body in football, the FIFA, and its European counterpart UEFA, met on Friday March 25th in Zurich to review implications of in play betting.

The new instant in play betting offers from online bookmakers is leaving football officials in a difficult situation. They should not get involved with the new in play betting offers but to do nothing would be taking a big gamble. Evidence of match fixing and spread betting manipulation has already been highlighted in the past.

The meeting was prompted by the rise of popularity of in play betting. Football officials worry that the threat of match fixing and manipulation of the games will be even greater, considering how easy it would be to make small changes on a yellow card or kick off during a game. Previously, the focus of betting regulators would have been on the result of the match but this is now evolving and football official want to make sure they stay in control.

At the moment, the attention is also turned to the investigation into six match officials involved with the two games played in the Turkish city of Antalya in February. During the games, all goals were scored from the penalty spot and one penalty was taken twice after the first effort was saved. The investigation has prompted a sharp rise in awareness of the issue of match fixing.

The legal advisers have been scratching their heads trying to come up with a solution but whichever way they look at in play betting, the more they worry. The plan, currently, is to come up with a warning system that would alert authorities when unusual betting patterns are encountered. But these patterns are extremely difficult to monitor. The FIFA and UEFA now need to discuss their plans with online bookmakers and make sure that everyone is on board to implement the necessary controls.

At a time when match fixing is becoming a genuine concern in all sports, including football, cricket or horse racing, coming up with a system to highlight unusual betting patters is a great challenge with unknown consequences.

In-play betting is becoming ever more popular and the large array of possible bets available with online bookmakers is likely to create more temptation to try and exploit the system.

The authorities seem to be keeping a close eye on high profile matches but games other games, such as international friendlies, or games played further away from Western Europe are becoming easy targets for illegal betting rings keen to exploit the betting system before new computer technology is introduced. Currently, it has proven very difficult to gather evidence where match fixing has been suspected. Illegal betting rings have accumulated plenty of experience in complex betting structures over the years, enough to make any investigation very difficult.

Bookmakers will be reluctant to step away from in play betting as this is generating a great deal of revenue and they have invested in new technology to support the demand from the gamblers. Online casino and sportsbook operator bet365 has recently announced the launch of a new in-play betting system that will allow hundreds of thousands of customers to use the system at the same time, even at pick times when demand will be at its highest. The new Bet365 interface will also let the user customise the screens and the information to be displayed. Bet365 customers will also be able to enjoy audio and visual coverage of live sporting events such as football games and races. Customers will enjoy a multi-media experience while being able to bet on a number of events and make the most of the Bet365 bonus and loyalty offers. With such investments into in play betting being launched, it’s unlikely that in play betting will be banned completely.