IBIA reports decline in suspicious activity alerts in Q2

The International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) has seen the number of alerts for suspicious wagering activity fall 17% year-on-year for the three months to June 30, 2019.

The association flagged a total of 51 events to its operator members and regulatory bodies during the second quarter, representing a 38% quarter-on-quarter rise.

Tennis, which has generated the most alerts in recent quarters remained the main concern in Q2, accounting for 25 of the suspicious activity reports that were filed. However, this represents a significant drop on the 44 alerts issued around the sport in Q2, 2018, a 43% year-on-year decline. 

Football ranked second with 18 alerts, while the IBIA also raised two alerts each for volleyball and esports, and one each for table tennis, pool, basketball and ice hockey.

Europe accounted for 25 alerts, with the continent generating the most reports of suspicious activity around football, with 13. Asia, meanwhile, accounted for 13 alerts, including ten for tennis. Eight of these ten were flagged for suspicious activity in Uzbekistan. 

Just four alerts were generated from activity in South America – two each for tennis in Argentina and football in Brazil – with three tennis alerts for North America.

The IBIA is the new name for ESSA, the Sports betting integrity monitoring body that opted to rebrand last month. At the time, the organisation said the name change aims to highlight the operator-funded body’s increasingly international focus, especially the role it plays in raising awareness of betting-related integrity issues worldwide.

Since the rebrand, the IBIA has welcomed a number of new members, including AB Trav och Galopp (ATG) the market-leading operator in the early months of Sweden’s regulated igaming market, and Gamesys’ new Virgin Bet brand.