More than 1,100 suspicious betting matches detected since start of Covid-19 pandemic
Sportradar publishes new data which demonstrates that lower-league football is most at risk of corruption with 500 fixtures identified already in 2021
Sportradar Integrity Services has detected more than 1,100 suspicious sports matches since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in April 2020, with 655 of those detected in the first nine months of 2021.
Over the last 18 months, Sportradar has used its in-house fraud detection and bet monitoring system (UFDS) to detect suspicious activity in 12 different sports across more than 70 countries.
According to Sportradar’s UFDS figures, football is the sport most at risk of betting-related corruption, with more than 500 suspicious matches detected this year to date.
Around 40% of the suspicious activity reported within domestic football comes from third-tier leagues or below, including youth level.
As well as football, esports is also a standout sport for fixers to target according to the data giant.
More than 70 suspicious esports matches have been detected since April last year across five different game titles, with more than 40 of those identified since January 2021.
Elsewhere, Sportradar software has this year detected suspicious activity in tennis (37), basketball (19), table tennis (11), ice hockey (9) and cricket (6).
A handful of breaches were also identified across volleyball, handball and beach volleyball over the last 12 months.
Sportradar integrity services MD Andreas Krannich said the firm would offer its UFDS solution to sports organisations and leagues for free from 13 October as a demonstration of its commitment to supporting the sustainability of global sport.
He added: “As our analysis shows, match-fixing is evolving, and those behind it are diversifying their approach, both in the sports and competitions they target, and the way they make approaches to athletes, such as the rise in digital approaches.”
On a global level, the UFDS has detected suspicious matches in Europe (382), Latam (115), Asia Pacific (74), Africa (43), the Middle East (10) and North America (9) since the turn of the year.
Sportradar became a public company last month after launching an IPO on the New York Nasdaq.