The International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) said it reported 90 alerts of suspicious betting to the relevant authorities in the second quarter of 2024, 3% lower than Q1 but 80% higher than during the same period in 2023.
The 90 incidents of suspicious betting in Q2 concerned eight sports across 25 countries and five continents, although only four of these were in Asia – all of them football related.
Three sports – eSports, football and table tennis – accounted for 84% of all alerts in Q2 with eSports providing 54% of the total by way of 48 alerts. The majority of those alerts concern a single linked case of suspicious betting activity on 68 eSoccer matches played earlier this year.
There were 16 football alerts and 12 table tennis alerts, mostly located in Europe. According to the IBIA, the 19 alerts on sporting events in Europe in 2Q24 was an increase of 15 on the four alerts in Q1, but a decrease on the 31 cases in 2Q23.
“An increase in the Q2 and revised Q1 alerts compared to previous quarters is primarily related to a linked case in eSports,” said IBIA CEO, Khalid Ali. “The situation is being monitored closely and heightened vigilance 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 again highlights the importance and effectiveness of customer account monitoring in the detection of suspicious betting and the protection of sporting events, consumers and regulated betting markets.”
IBIA and its membership monitor over US$300 billion in betting turnover per annum across more than 125 sports betting brands globally.
