IBIA presents Q2 suspicious betting results

The International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) has presented its findings for the second quarter of the year, reporting on incidents that were tied to suspicious betting activity during the three-month period.

According to the company, which is tasked with watching over the global integrity of sports, there were 50 incidents that point to potentially fraudulent sports gambling operations throughout its network of registered members. In terms of gender representation, the 50 signals for Q22023 had to do with 47 signals for men’s events, two for women’s events, and one for a mixed-gender event.

The total number is higher than the results in the first quarter, but it’s also a significant decline from the 90 such incidents reported during the second quarter of 2022. Out of the latest signals, 19 had to do with soccer, and 14 with tennis. These two sports generally produce a higher number of suspicious betting, owing to their popularity.

Table tennis came third in with eight total red flags. Esports interesting featured a single signal, with esports betting fraud making its way to such reports in recent months more often than not. IBIA CEO Khalid Ali commented on the results and said that the reduction in suspicious betting signals is owing to the collaborative efforts of IBIA, local authorities, and the organization’s members.

Recently, a Belgian court handed sentences to 28 individuals involved in tennis match-fixing offenses, with Ali hailing this case as an example of how far the collaborative efforts of the association and judicial and police authorities can go.

"That judgment sends a clear and unequivocal message to corrupters that they will be caught, and harsh sanctions imposed," Ali added. The case was also investigated by the International Tennis Integrity Agency. The report also took a look at the sports gambling market in the Netherlands, citing data from H2 GamblingCapital.

According to the figures presented by the company, the onshore gambling market in the country will increase to €690m by 2028, but the influence of the offshore sports gambling market will remain tangible at €124m.

This quarterly report also featured a further breakdown of all suspicious betting signals posted between 2018 and 2022 in Europe. Tennis actually seemed to be the most likely sport to be corrupted, with some 270 signals reported during the surveyed period, followed by soccer with 136, and table tennis with 126.

IBIA presently features more than 45 companies with 120+ betting brands with a global betting turnover every year of $137bn.

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