IBIA Reports 90 Suspicious Betting Alerts in Q2 2024
18 July 2024
The International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) has reported 90 alerts of suspicious betting to relevant authorities in the second quarter (Q2) of 2024. This total represents a 3% decrease from the revised figure of 93 alerts in Q1 2024 and an 80% increase compared to the 50 alerts reported in Q2 2023. IBIA and its growing membership monitor over $300 billion in annual betting turnover across more than 125 sports betting brands globally, making it the largest betting integrity monitor of its kind in the world.
The 90 incidents of suspicious betting in Q2 spanned 8 sports, 25 countries, and 5 continents. Key data for Q2 2024 includes:
- Three sports—eSports, football, and table tennis—accounted for 84% of all alerts in Q2.
- eSports contributed around 50% of the Q2 total; however, the majority of those alerts pertain to a single linked case, which has also led to a revised Q1 figure of 43.
- Poland had the highest number of country-specific alerts with 6 cases.
- The 19 alerts on sporting events in Europe in Q2 2024 mark an increase of 15 from the 4 alerts in Q1, but a decrease from the 31 cases in Q2 2023.
Khalid Ali, CEO of IBIA, commented: “The increase in the Q2 and revised Q1 alerts compared to previous quarters is primarily related to a linked case in eSports. The situation is being monitored closely, and heightened vigilance is advocated as we seek to work with stakeholders to investigate. While the increase in alerts may understandably draw attention, it should be noted that eSports saw a significant reduction in annual alerts across IBIA’s membership in 2023. The case highlights the importance and effectiveness of customer account monitoring in detecting suspicious betting and protecting sporting events, consumers, and regulated betting markets”.
The Q2 integrity report also focuses on Brazil, ahead of the market opening to licensed operators, which is expected to see $34 billion in betting turnover onshore, generating $2.8 billion in taxable revenue by 2028. IBIA has called for other Latin American jurisdictions to adopt the Brazilian regulatory framework and integrity provisions, which require licensed sports betting operators to join an independent integrity monitoring body.
IBIA is a not-for-profit integrity monitoring body that operates without competing conflicts in delivering commercial services to other sectors. It is run by operators for operators to protect regulated sports betting markets from match-fixing. IBIA’s global monitoring network is a highly effective anti-corruption tool, detecting and reporting suspicious activity in regulated betting markets.
