IBIA states that the presence of suspicious betting activity indicates a resumption of regularity.

During the initial three months of 2024, the primary focus of the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA), an organization dedicated to preserving honesty in sports, was the reporting of an impressive total of 64 instances of potentially dubious betting events to the relevant authorities. Notably, both the realm of tennis and the arena of esports emerged as the key areas of concern in these reported cases.

European cooperation

To tackle the growing threat of match-fixing during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, European law enforcement agencies, sports federations, and gambling companies have joined forces to enhance collaboration.

Many operators are approaching pre-pandemic levels of market supply, indicating a return to normalcy after a challenging year in 2020, according to Khalid Ali, the CEO of the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA).

In the first quarter, members of the IBIA have identified suspicious bets, which indicates the resurgence of the sports that have historically dominated the global betting market, namely tennis and football, as stated by the latter.

I am Ali, and I want to emphasize that our association and its members maintain a close working relationship with various sports organizations. We are committed to identifying any potential corruption within these sports and taking decisive action to punish and deter such illicit activities. Furthermore, we extend our support to any sports entity that seeks to collaborate with us in this endeavor. Together, we strive to maintain the integrity and purity of the sporting world.

Encouraging figures

Earlier this year, the 2020 IBIA Annual Report disclosed that the organization had witnessed a notable surge in suspicious reports, with a 48% uptick from the previous year. In total, the IBIA had received 270 alerts, surpassing the 183 reports registered in 2019.

However, the International Biometric Industry Association (IBIA) stated that the statistics align with the number of alerts reported in the years 2017 and 2018, which were 266 and 267, respectively.

In 2020, table tennis emerged as one of the limited sports options for many people. Consequently, the sport witnessed a surge in popularity, leading to a notable increase in match reports. Specifically, the Czech Republic contributed five match reports, while Portugal provided one. Russia, on the other hand, produced an impressive total of thirteen reports, and Ukraine surpassed them all with twenty-five reports.

In the report for the first quarter of 2024, the IBIA reveals a mere seven recorded table tennis matches, which is significantly lower than the maximum of 26 matches documented in the second quarter of 2020.

The number of suspicious reports in Q1 2021, totaling 64, closely aligns with the figures from Q4 2020, which recorded 68 cases, and Q1 2020, which reported 61 alerts.

A celebrated restoration of normalcy extolled by the governing entities overseeing the authenticity of internet gambling!