IBIA reports 50% surge in suspicious betting cases during Q3 2020
Betting monitoring body has dealt with 195 alerts during 2020 primarily on football and tennis
The number of suspicious betting patterns identified by online gambling operators has increased by more than half (52%) during Q3 2020, according to the latest data from the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA).
Releasing its latest integrity report for the period, the IBIA confirmed a total of 76 cases in Q3, 50 of which were reported on football and tennis.
Of the 25 tennis alerts, 19 matches were redirected to the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU) as they do not relate to events sanctioned by the main tennis tours.
However, players engaged in those events may fall within the scope of the body’s Tennis Anti-Corruption Program (TACP).
Alerts on esports accounted for 14 of the total identified, with table tennis accounting for just seven suspicious betting events.
Rounding out the list is basketball and bowls with two each, as well as a single suspicious betting alert on cricket.
Of the 76 alerts, 34 were reported in Europe, 15 in Asia and 12 in North America.
A total of 195 sports betting alerts have been reported in 2020 to date.
“As anticipated, there has been an increase in suspicious betting alerts with the return of many sports during the quarter,” IBIA CEO Khalid Ali said.
“[The] IBIA’s figures also reflect a growing membership – we have announced four new members so far this year and further announcements are imminent – which in turn increases the association’s global betting market monitoring coverage.
“IBIA will continue to work closely with key stakeholders on betting integrity issues and also in related areas such sports data collation and customer dispute resolution,” he added.
The IBIA has added two new members during the quarter in DraftKings and Football Index.
Last month, the IBIA released a new set of standards on sporting event data collection, inviting operators to sign up and comply with new best practice rules.