IBIA doubles down on Brazilian sports integrity

IBIA, the world’s leading independent sports integrity organizaiton, has announced that it is opening a new base of operation in Brazil, as the association strives to ensure that sports are protected from fraud, corruption, and manipulation globally. To this end, the International Betting Integrity Association has deemed it fit to focus more efforts on the Latin American market, after it previously expanded in North America.

IBIA sees the moment as auspicious as the country is now in the process of regulating its sports betting market and Brazil is soon to be one of the biggest sports betting markets in the world. This means that Brazil will also become one of the biggest targets for criminals who are trying to fudge betting results and corrupt sports, the association explains in a press release.

IBIA argues that it already has a strong position in the country as its members account for 60% of all remote gambling in Brazil, which will put the organizaiton in a strong position to detect aberrant betting patterns and escalate them to authorities. Commenting on this opportunity to join the market and significantly boost its reach, IBIA CEO Khalid Ali said that he welcomed the Brazilian government’s decision to establish clear-cut rules and a framework for gambling companies to follow.

He argued that a regulated market meant a market where betting-related corruption was less likely to take place – or go undetected. "IBIA looks forward to working with policymakers to ensure Brazil enjoys the full benefits of a dynamic and competitive sports betting market, whilst reducing the risks of match-fixing," Ali said.

IBIA is a powerful custodian in the fast-developing sports betting market around the world. The association works with private companies, which are operators of betting products, and have a clear interest in ensuring that there are no signs of match manipulations, or when there are – that those are being escalated to the relevant authorities to safeguard players and businesses alike.

IBIA collates data from hundreds of operators around the globe, making it a powerful monitoring body that relies on a proactive approach by operators. "What sets IBIA apart from commercial monitoring systems is the ability to track transactional activity linked to individual consumer accounts rather than analysing simple odds movements," Ali explained, outlining where the true power of the association lay.

IBIA’s step into the Brazilian market will prove a successful way for the association to deter, investigate and help prosecute match-fixing with the assistance of authorities. IBIA just recently posted 40 suspicious betting alerts accumulated over the first quarter of 2023 globally.

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