The Brazilian Ministry of Sports and Sportradar Group AG formalized a Technical Cooperation Agreement (ACT) focused on protecting the integrity of sports betting in the country. The partnership provides for the exchange of information related to the betting market and the implementation of joint initiatives to combat match-fixing.

Sportradar will provide specialized support to the Brazilian Ministry of Sports, including the reporting of potentially suspicious activity detected by its industry-leading Universal Fraud Detection System (UFDS). In addition, Sportradar will provide education and training for Ministry of Sports personnel and staff focused on best practices in monitoring, identifying and investigating suspicious activities. The first workshop will be held on May 15 and include the Brazilian Ministry of Finance, a recent partner with whom Sportradar also signed an ACT.

André Fufuca, Brazil’s Minister of Sport, said: “Today we signed a milestone agreement in the fight against match-fixing in Brazilian sports. Integrity must be a constant principle when it comes to transparency, ethics, and, above all, the fairness of sports results. With this agreement, we will have tools to curb this practice and ensure greater transparency in competitions. This way, athletes, clubs, organizations, fans, and the entire population will be able to trust the fairness of the outcomes and, in turn, have the confidence to unlock the full potential of Brazilian sports.”

Andreas Krannich, EVP, Integrity and Regulatory Services, Sportradar said: “Establishing this partnership with the Ministry of Sports is an important milestone in strengthening sports integrity in Brazil. As a global integrity leader, leveraging cutting-edge technology to prevent and combat match-fixing, we believe that protecting competitions requires coordinated action between the public and private sectors. Through this collaboration, Sportradar continues to reaffirm its commitment to a more transparent and safer sports environment for the athletes and all the stakeholders involved in Brazilian sport.

Advertisement

This ACT adds to Sportradar’s growing number of integrity services partnerships in Brazil that include recent agreements signed with the Goiás State Attorney’s Office, the Brazilian Volleyball Confederation (CBV) and the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF), as well as existing relationships with soccer federations in 17 Brazilian states, creating a strong network focused on protecting the integrity of sport in the country.

EPIC Global Solutions has entered into a new partnership with Underdog to further the sports gaming operator’s investment in responsible gaming education through a series of training and workshops.

As part of the partnership, customer-facing Underdog employees participated in gaming harm awareness sessions and VIP relationships workshops presented by EPIC staff, increasing Underdog staff’s ability to recognize potentially problematic gaming behaviors in their customers.

The sessions were led by consultants who shared their own experience of how different forms of gaming proved problematic in their lives, including former NCAA and NBA point guard Stevin ‘Hedake’ Smith and former boxer Liz Thielen, and provided Underdog staff the chance to explore the human side of harm through a gaming-neutral lens.

EPIC’s VP North America Teresa Fiore said: “We’re very pleased with the positive start to our working relationship with Underdog. They have a deep understanding that responsible gaming practices must be at the core for any major operator, and it’s a constant and consistent process of learning and attentiveness.

Advertisement

“It’s clear from the session feedback that the responsible gaming message we share – influenced by the lived experience of our team – is making a difference to Underdog’s staff in a way that will further enhance their communication and customer relationships in a positive way.”

The training and workshops promoted business sustainability and customer protection by exploring communication techniques and best practices to foster healthy customer relationships.

“Partnering with EPIC has reinforced the culture of responsible gaming that we are building at Underdog. We look forward to furthering the understanding of responsible gaming within Underdog and continuing to participate in training sessions and workshops to deepen our player protection knowledge,” said Adam Warrington, Vice President of Responsible Gaming at Underdog.