The French government has launched a new watchdog to monitor its growing online betting industry in a bid to beat match-fixing.

Sports Minister Thierry Braillard announced today (Friday) that the body will allow for an exchange of information between the different authorities regulating online betting at national and international level along with sports federations and betting operators.

According to the AFP news agency, the government is to create a co-ordination unit to inform and fight against the problem under the presidency of a director of sport, as well as a unit for surveillance of the French market.

France, which will host this summer’s Uefa European Championship national team football tournament, saw a 30 per-cent rise in online sports betting wagers to €1.44bn ($1.57bn) in 2015, in figures released last week by the ARJEL regulator.

“This platform bringing together all stakeholders will allow us to better arm ourselves against the scourge that is the manipulation of sports competitions,” Braillard said.