IBIA reports 40 suspicious betting alerts in Q1

The International Betting Integrity Association’s (IBIA) latest quarterly Integrity Report reported 40 incidents of suspicious betting activity identified by its members, who represent nearly 50% of all commercial online betting globally and over US$137 billion in sports betting turnover. IBIA’s Q1 report also highlights the importance of establishing effective integrity solutions across Latin America, particularly in Brazil, and the significant role that IBIA’s regulated operators play in identifying and deterring potential manipulation.

The 40 incidents of suspicious betting in Q1 concerned nine sports across 22 countries and five continents. Other key data for Q1 2023:

• Football had the highest number of reported alerts globally. The 15 football alerts represent 38% of all alerts in Q1.
• The 12 tennis alerts reported in Q1 2023 represent a more than 50% decrease when compared to the average quarterly figure in 2022.
• Spain is the country with the highest number of Q1 alerts. The 8 alerts on sporting events in Spain equals the total number of alerts on Spanish events for the whole of 2022.

Khalid Ali, IBIA CEO, said: “IBIA’s monitoring and alert network provides the most comprehensive, robust and detailed intelligence on suspicious betting activity globally. It utilizes detailed customer-account data that is only available to IBIA and its members and covers nearly 50% of all regulated commercial online betting. By harnessing those collective resources, we are able deploy a protective shield around IBIA operators, resulting in fewer attempts to corrupt our members compared to non-members.”

The Q1 Integrity Report also contains a targeted analysis of alerts in the Latin American market, with 105 suspicious alerts across the region during 2018-22. Brazil was the main source of alerts (31%), followed by the Dominican Republic and Mexico (10%), and Argentina and Peru (9%). Unsurprisingly, considering its importance in Brazil, football accounted for 63% of alerts, followed by tennis (21%). In total, there were 33 suspicious alerts raise by IBIA members in Brazil during this five-year period.

Khalid Ali, IBIA CEO, added: “A well-regulated sports betting market is essential to the fight against sports betting related match-fixing. All relevant stakeholders – betting operators, policymakers, regulators, and sports – have an important role to play to ensure that Brazil enjoys the full benefits of a dynamic and competitive regulated sports betting market, whilst reducing the risks of match-fixing.”

According to H2 Gambling Capital, the leading independent authority on global gambling market data, the Brazilian sports betting market grew by 44.4% from 2021 to 2022 reaching BRL4,506m (US$940m) in gross gambling revenue (GGR), and is projected to reach BRL9,265m (US$1,860m) in GGR by 2027
(105% increase).