The sports and betting industries in Canada continue to strengthen their efforts to safeguard the integrity of professional sport. As part of this initiative, athletes from the Canadian Football League (CFL) participated in a new integrity education programme focused on preventing match manipulation, fraud, and betting-related corruption.
The programme was led by Genius Sports, the CFL’s official data partner, together with the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA), one of Canada’s leading betting integrity monitoring organizations.
The sessions were delivered face-to-face to encourage more direct interaction with players and create open conversations around the pressures, risks, and situations athletes may encounter within the sports betting environment.
Athletes from all nine CFL teams took part in the programme, including teams based in Edmonton and Calgary, located in Alberta, which is set to launch its new licensing framework for sports betting and gaming on July 13. Teams from Toronto and Hamilton also participated, representing Ontario, the first Canadian province to open its market to private operators in 2022.
IBIA currently holds integrity monitoring registrations in both Ontario and Alberta, working alongside local gambling regulators on betting integrity matters.
The training sessions were delivered by IBIA Education Ambassador Jean-François Reymond, former NFL, CFL and EFL player Anthony Mahoungou, Stephen Emberson, Head of Integrity Operations at Genius Sports, and Special Counsel for Sports Integrity Natalie St Cyr Clarke.
The programme introduced IBIA’s “3Rs” approach: Rules, Responsibility, and Report. Drawing from his own experience as a former professional athlete, Jean-François Reymond emphasized the importance of building trust and engagement through direct interaction.
“In-person training reflects a simple reality: integrity measures do not work on paper alone. They work when athletes understand them, trust them, and use them,” he explained.
The workshops focused on practical scenarios designed to help athletes identify, resist, and report match-fixing approaches, misuse of inside information, and other forms of betting-related corruption.
Khalid Ali, CEO of IBIA, said: “Sport’s integrity is only as strong as the investment and cooperation behind it. When leagues, athletes, operators, and integrity bodies work together, education moves beyond theory and becomes a real tool that helps athletes recognise and respond to risks in real-world situations.”
Meanwhile, Stephen Emberson highlighted the importance of education as one of the key pillars in the fight against betting-related corruption.
“These workshops provided an invaluable opportunity to speak directly with CFL players, demonstrating how individuals may attempt to manipulate markets and what exact steps players should take to report suspicious activity,” he said.
Eric Noivo, Associate Vice President of Health & Safety and Football Operations at the CFL, also reinforced the league’s commitment to protecting the integrity of the competition.
“The integrity of our game is paramount. Working alongside our partners and industry specialists reflects the league’s commitment to educating players and staff about match manipulation, its consequences, and how to respond if confronted with it. There is no place for it in our sport,” he stated.
The initiative reflects a broader strategy across the sports and betting industries to prioritize prevention through education and early awareness. The goal is to reduce risks before they emerge, helping protect competitions, regulated betting markets, and the credibility of sport overall.
IBIA’s participation in the programme forms part of a CAD $300,000 investment alongside its members FanDuel, bet365, and Betway to support integrity education and prevention initiatives across Canadian sport.
As part of that commitment, IBIA will also deliver a third consecutive year of educational programmes alongside PFA Canada for players and staff from the Canadian Premier League (CPL) later this year.
