The IBIA has reported a year-on-year decline in suspicious betting alerts in 2019.
The International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) has reported a significant year-on-year decline in the number of suspicious betting alerts for 2019.
According to the report, there were a total of 183 alerts across 12 different sports last year. This figure represents a significant drop on the 267 alerts in 2018.
Looking closer at the report
After looking closer at the data presented in the report, tennis generated 101 reports of suspicious betting activity making it the sport of most concern to the IBIA. This marks a significant decrease on the 178 alerts that were made in 2018.
Football generated 49 suspicious betting alerts putting it in second place. Basketball had just eight alerts putting the sport in third place and table tennis had five alerts. Ice hockey and volleyball both had four alerts, while badminton, esports and handball each generated three alerts. Beach volleyball, pool and horse racing only received one alert each.
IBIA chief executive Khalid Ali said: “The decline in alerts is very welcome, especially as this is primarily a result of an improved level of integrity in ITF tennis, which has been the subject of particular scrutiny in recent years. However, there remains a clear threat from criminals intent on manipulating sport to defraud operators. Such illicit organised and targeted action has an impact on the reputation and financial well-being of sports and reputable betting operators alike.”
The majority of reports came from Europe with the IBIA filing 87 reports from that jurisdiction in 2019. Of these alerts, 33 were made on tennis and 32 were made in relation to football, eight of these came from the UK.
Asia saw 52 reports in 2019, with 34 suspicious betting alerts coming from tennis. Football was responsible for 10 alerts and basketball and volleyball generated three reports each. The IBIA registered 15 alerts from Africa, 13 of which were on tennis games. Both North America and South America were responsible for 13 alerts each, with the majority of suspicious alerts coming from tennis.
What is the IBIA?
The International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) is an integrity monitoring body which was formerly known as the ESSA.
The IBIA is a body responsible for helping to eliminate match-fixing in sports betting and works to root out betting-related corruption. The Authority places a strong emphasis ion safeguarding betting integrity, advocating for informed policies in the regulatory space and helps conduct research and educate stakeholders in the betting industry.
