Sport Bookmakers Seek Safety in Numbers against Cheating Sport bookies look for security in numbers against cheating 10 November 2010 The recent choice by Pakistan's cricket authorities to suspend the central contracts of three gamers implies among the summer's most significant sport gambling stories declines to go away. Batsman Salman Butt and speed bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif are under examination for supposed spot-fixing during Pakistan's tour of England previously this year. They stay provisionally suspended from all cricketing activities by the International Cricket Council. "The allegations around the Pakistan cricket team and their UK see this summer season have actually been so incendiary that they still stay in the headlines," states Khalid Ali, secretary general of the European Sports Security Association (ESSA). 'Confront difficulties' Brussels-based ESSA was set up by leading online sports book operators in Europe to monitor any irregular wagering patterns or possible insider betting from within each sport. It has signed memorandums of understanding with a number of sports bodies - including FIFA, UEFA, EPFL, the FA, DFB, ATP, ITF and WTA - and has established close relations with the IOC and numerous other sports regulators. "Nobody wishes to bank on contests whose results they feel are rigged," says Mr Ali, speaking about sports betting. "The licensed wagering market is identified to face the obstacles head-on." It was a scandal five years ago which led to the development of this bookies' intelligence operation, one created to monitor and snuff out suspicious betting patterns. The body came about in 2005 following a scandal in Germany which saw a referee repairing video games - the well-known Hoyzer case.