eSports
IBIA Publishes 2023 Integrity Report
2023 saw a fall in suspicious alerts globally and an increase in successful sanctions for sports betting violations
The International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA), the leading global voice on integrity for the licensed sports betting industry, has published its 2023 sports betting integrity report.
The report highlights that the total number of suspicious sports betting alerts reported in 2023 fell to 184, which represents a decrease of 101, or 35%, on the revised 2022 figure of 285 alerts. The global alerts for 2023 are significantly below the average of 244 annual alerts for the period 2019 to 2022.
The report also highlights that IBIA’s suspicious betting activity data helped to prove that 74 matches were corrupted and found that there was an increase in the number of clubs, players and officials successfully sanctioned for violating sports betting rules.
When considering the number of alerts reported, it is important to recognise that IBIA’s ability to detect and deter suspicious betting activity has increased significantly in recent years; it now accounts for over US$137 billion of global betting turnover per annum, making IBIA the world’s leading operator-run integrity monitoring body.
These results confirm the importance of the legal requirement for regulated sports betting operators to join an international sports integrity monitoring body, increasingly imposed in well-regulated markets. That requirement was recently introduced in Brazil, which the 2023 report shows had the third highest number of suspicious betting alerts (11), behind the United Kingdom and the Czech Republic.
“The fall in last year’s global alert numbers is encouraging,” the Chief Executive Officer for the IBIA, Khalid Ali, said. “It confirms that our world-leading monitoring and alert network is making a very important contribution to deterring criminals from seeking to defraud our members and that increased collaboration between the IBIA, sports and regulators is a winning combination. Despite this progress, we must remain vigilant and recognize that the greatest threat to sports integrity comes from unregulated operators, most notably in Asia.”
IBIA uses suspicious betting activity data from its unique global monitoring network to help sports, regulators, policymakers and law enforcement to investigate and prosecute criminals. In 2023, IBIA alerts contributed to the investigations and subsequent successful sanctioning of 21 clubs, players and officials, an increase on the 15 sanctioned in 2022. Of the 21 sanctioned in 2023, there were eight tennis players, seven umpires and four snooker players.
In several of the cases, data from IBIA and its members helped contribute to significant sanctions, such as life bans, being issued. This collective action attests to the powerful impact of IBIA’s data and cross-sector partnership working.
In terms of individual sports, football was the sport with the majority of alerts with 63, with the number remaining relatively consistent over time, with 67 and 66 alerts reported in 2022 and 2021, respectively.
Tennis was the second most reported sport with 54 alerts. This represents a 49% decrease on the 2022 total of 106. On average, tennis alerts have been decreasing over the past years and for the first time the number of tennis alerts is below football.
“The ongoing decrease in tennis alerts along with notable reductions in table tennis and eSports is very encouraging,” Ali said. “IBIA will continue to work closely with the International Tennis Integrity Agency and other important partners in the sports sector to exchange information on suspicious betting and to support the prosecution of wrongdoing. The progress made in tennis over a number of years now demonstrates that successfully identifying and sanctioning match-fixing sends a powerful message to athletes and officials about the risks of engaging in match-fixing.”
The association publishes quarterly reports covering the integrity alerts reported through its monitoring and alert platform, which can be viewed here. IBIA can be contacted at Info @IBIA.bet.
eSports
DATA.BET Launches Esports Bet Builder
The company advances the betting experience for esports fans
DATA.BET, a leading esports betting provider, releases Bet Builder, designed to create highly customized compound bets within a single match, offering a thrilling experience for professional bettors and avid esports enthusiasts.
Unlike traditional express bets, which span across multiple events, Bet Builder operates within a single event. It allows players to tailor their bets with flexibility, making it ideal for skillful users who deeply understand the game and seek a more personalized and strategic betting experience. With Bet Builder, users can bet on a wide range of markets within a single event, freely combining their selections without any restrictions.
In addition to its powerful functionality, this product is versatile in its integration. It can be seamlessly connected to any platform via API, allowing operators to offer this premium feature without technical limitations.
The novelty is already available for Counter-Strike 2 and will soon expand to cover other popular esports titles such as Valorant, League of Legends, and other disciplines.
“Our Bet Builder is a game-changer in the esports betting landscape,” said Rostyslav Likhtin, Head of Product at DATA.BET. “We’ve developed a sophisticated mathematical model that allows us to offer this feature on compound events without compromising on profitability. Beyond providing a unique experience that boosts engagement rates, loyalty, and expands the user base, it also significantly increases the operator’s turnover from the existing audience. Additionally, Bet Builder helps attract new players who are eager to explore combined bets on popular sports, allowing them to become more familiar with these disciplines.”
eSports
BETBY EXPANDS ESPORTS PORTFOLIO WITH LAUNCH OF eSTREETBALL
BETBY, a leading provider of premium sportsbook solutions, has announced the addition of eStreetball to its BETBY Games esports content portfolio, further enhancing its impressive lineup of e-simulator sports. BETBY Games now features nine different sports, hosting over 50 tournaments across various disciplines.
The newly introduced eStreetball title brings players the excitement of three unique tournaments: NBA All-Star, NBA All-Classic, and CBA All-Star. Combining state-of-the-art graphics with extensive betting options, the game delivers an exhilarating and immersive experience for esports enthusiasts.
Each eStreetball match offers rapid gameplay, with games concluding in just seven minutes. For an enhanced betting experience, the game provides more than 10 betting markets, including options like winner, total points, home total, away total, handicap, odd/even, and race to points. This latest addition follows a series of recent updates to BETBY Games’ esports portfolio, showcasing the company’s commitment to delivering innovative and engaging content for its partners.
Kirill Nekrasov, Head of BETBY Games, commented: “We were thrilled with the success of our recent Classic eBasketball release, which motivated us to accelerate the launch of new content for this game. We’ve now introduced another basketball-based sport, and I’m confident it will resonate with both casual players who enjoy quick bets and instant outcomes, as well as esports enthusiasts who are always eager for new disciplines.
He added that: “We are continually striving to innovate and enhance our offerings, aiming to provide the best possible esports experience for our partners and their players. The introduction of Streetball to BETBY Games’ e-simulator portfolio reflects our dedication to the esports sector. By delivering top-tier content, we empower our partners to differentiate themselves in the market while keeping players engaged, particularly during periods when live sports events may be limited.”
eSports
SIS goes live with Superbet to strengthen esports product profile in Romania
Operator adds 24/7 sport simulation content to offering
SIS (Sports Information Services), the leading content supplier of 24/7 live betting services, has launched its Competitive Gaming product with Superbet in Europe and South America through the Genius Sports platform.
The complete suite of H2H Global Gaming League™ eSoccer and eBasketball matches, numbering over 150,000 events per year, is now live with the Romanian operator. Superbet will benefit from the increase in wagering opportunities provided by the event-based product, which is proven to maximise engagement and margin for operators.
Since its launch in 2008, Superbet has established a strong presence across the Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) region, becoming a leading operator in Romania, Belgium, Poland and Serbia. The operator offers a diverse sportsbook, presenting constantly evolving sports betting opportunities to its customers.
Competitive Gaming’s H2H Global Gaming League™ sees highly skilled professional gamers take part in short-form eBasketball and eSoccer matches. The contests are produced entirely in-house in the UK and include tools and features to enhance the customer experience.
It is the only esports product available on the market to have been awarded the Esports Integrity Commission’s (ESIC) Gold Standards, the highest possible accreditation created to set unmatched levels of integrity and safety in the industry, with trained referees overseeing every contest.
Launching Competitive Gaming with Superbet reaffirms SIS’ reputation as a global supplier of value-adding, round-the-clock content.
Andrew Kelly, Head of Commercial Partnerships at SIS, said: “The partnership with Superbet is the latest operator agreement as we strive to widen the reach of our Competitive Gaming portfolio, leveraging our recent platform partnership with Genius Sports.
“Superbet has an impressive footprint and we look forward to bringing our revolutionary product to bettors throughout this entire region.”
Ivan Gojic, Head of Trading Product at Superbet Group, added: “Superbet has established a reputation of being a champion of the sports betting industry across the CEE region, due to the unique and immersive experience that we offer to our customers. We are always looking at ways to improve the quality of this experience and enhance the array of wagering opportunities that we provide.
“SIS’ Competitive Gaming is a proven product with increased quality and variety in terms of content, and we are excited to add it to our offering.”
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