The International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) received 268 suspicious sports betting alerts in 2022, including 50 alerts during the final quarter of the year.
The number of alerts in 2022 were up by 14 per cent compared to the previous year, with the increase mostly attributable to the widening of the IBIA’s monitoring network as a result of membership growth.
The total alerts spanned 14 sports and 61 countries, with tennis and football continuing to dominate with 102 and 67 alerts respectively.
Europe also continued to provide the highest number of alerts with nearly 50 per cent of the annual total, while there were 22 alerts on sporting events in North America, 17 on horseracing (including 14 in the US), and 10 alerts on football matches in India.
There were 50 alerts in Q4, adding to revised figures of 48 alerts (Q1), 80 (Q2) and 90 (Q3).
“The protective shield provided by IBIA is a vital tool in identifying and sanctioning attempted corruption on regulated betting markets,” said IBIA CEO Khalid Ali. “That has been underlined by welcome successful prosecutions during 2022 based on IBIA data, and we expect further corroboration of the association’s important positive impact and collaborative approach to be evident throughout 2023.
“The addition of 16 new members in 2022 has undoubtedly strengthened our monitoring and alert network and our ambition is to see all responsible regulated sports betting operators collaborating through IBIA. Proactive and collaborative action by our sector is an essential component in the fight against match-fixing, and to enhancing the overall reputation of the sector in general.”
During the year, successful sporting or criminal sanctions were announced against 15 teams, officials or players where IBIA had reported suspicious activity on their matches.
In several of the cases, data from IBIA and its members helped contribute to significant sanctions, such as life bans, being issued.