The International Federation of Horse Racing Authorities (IFHA) announced that its Council on Anti-Illegal Betting & Related Crime (IFHA Council) has expanded its membership to include three additional experts to support integrity in racing and other sports:
J Curtis Linnell is the Executive Vice President, Thoroughbred Racing Protective Bureau, based in Maryland, USA. He has significant experience in racing bet monitoring for integrity purposes from a North American perspective and has held senior operations management positions responsible for racing offices, pari-mutuel departments, simulcasting, off-track betting, and advance deposit wagering.
Louis Weston is a Barrister, Recorder (part time civil and criminal judge) and arbitrator qualified in England and Wales who has practised internationally. He has international experience as a leading legal counsel focussed on integrity in racing as well as legal and governance activity in other sports.
Vincent Ven is a Swiss/Hong Kong sports lawyer with more than a decade of experience in integrity, governance, and regulatory matters within international football. He has strong experience in integrity management in football, both for UEFA and previously for FIFA, and an extensive network of integrity professionals across sports globally.
“The three new members expand further the intellectual capacity of the Council,” said Martin Purbrick, Chair of the IFHA Council.
“Curtis has been with the TRPB since the inception of its Wagering Integrity Unit in 2003, and has been instrumental to rolling out the Bureau’s Wagering Analysis and Security Platform, which provides unparalleled transparency on almost all the racetrack networks in the USA and Canada.
Louis has specialised in sports law for over 15 years, with a particular focus on corruption and match manipulation. He has acted for the governing bodies of racing in Britain, Ireland and Saudi Arabi in fixing, doping and welfare cases.
Across football’s governing institutions, Vincent has developed expertise in match-fixing prevention, integrity policy, and investigative frameworks. As UEFA’s Head of Anti-Match-Fixing he has designed and overseen the organisation’s strategic response to one of football’s most significant integrity risks.
All three are global leaders in racing and sports integrity and will contribute significantly to the evolving work of the IFHA Council to protect racing and other sports from illegal betting.”
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About IFHA
The IFHA is a federation of more than 60 racing authorities from different countries and regions in the world. It is the global leader for the international sport of Thoroughbred racing, seeking to promote all facets of the worldwide sport; protect the welfare of the equine and human athlete; and protect and grow its global social and economic significance for current and future generations.
Major areas of the IFHA’s activities include:
- Making and amending the International Agreement on Breeding, Racing and Wagering
- Policy development relating to welfare and safety of horses and riders
- International race planning and grading (“black type”)
- World rankings
- The fight against equine prohibited substances and practices
- Harmonisation of racing rules
- Certification of IFHA reference laboratories
- Fostering commercial development of the racing industry globally
The IFHA is a foundation member with Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) of the International Horse Sports Confederation and is affiliated to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH).
About the IFHA Council on Anti-Illegal Betting & Related Crime
The IFHA Council on Anti-Illegal Betting & Related Crime is a think tank comprised of members from organizations engaged in horse racing and sports integrity, law enforcement, the UNODC, and academia. In October 2024, it succeeded the Asian Racing Federation (ARF) Council on Anti-Illegal Betting & Related Financial Crime, which was established in 2017, thereby extending the focus worldwide through the global leader for the international sport of Thoroughbred racing.
The purpose, objectives, and impact of the original ARF Council have become global, and as such, it outgrew the original regional role. With a global impact, and a global set of stakeholders, and by addressing global issues affecting racing and other sports relating to illegal betting and financial crime, the Council has moved under the auspices of the IFHA to become a global organisation.
The purpose of the IFHA Council is to foster and enhance international co-operation among horse racing operators, regulators, intergovernmental organizations, government agencies, and NGOs in order to better combat the threat of illegal betting and other crime risks to the integrity of the sport of horse racing in particular, as well as sport in general.
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