IBIA Publishes Its Q2 2023 Integrity Report

The International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) has published its integrity report for the second quarter of the year, highlighting its efforts to protect the sports and sports betting sectors from gambling fraud.

As an organization comprised of some of the most influential bodies in wagering, the IBIA understands the dangers of outcome manipulation in sports. As a result, the body seeks to combat fraud through evidence-based intelligence.

In Q2 2023 alone, the organization reported a total of 50 suspicious alerts to relevant sports regulatory bodies. Soccer and tennis continue to be the two sports that are the most targeted by fraudsters. 19 of the total alerts the IBIA reported were related to soccer, with 14 related to tennis. Table tennis and darts were up next with 8 and 5 alerts, respectively, followed by boxing, bowls, esports and badminton with a single alert each.

The IBIA added that the soccer-related alerts represent a 27% quarter-on-quarter increase compared to the 15 cases reported in Q1 2023. However, they mark a 41% year-on-year decrease from the 32 reports from the prior-year period.

In total, the Q2 alerts represent a 4% quarter-on-quarter increase and a 44% year-on-year decrease.

Fraudsters Continue to Target European Sports

The IBIA noted that a whopping majority (34) of all suspicious activities originate from Europe. Seven alerts came from the African sports scene with six and two from South America and North America respectively.

European sports continue to be a prime target of fraudsters with the IBIA adding that it has recorded a total of 624 suspicious cases between 2018 and 2022. Overall, European tennis is the single most exposed to manipulation sport with a total of 270 alerts reported during that period.

For comparison, soccer alerts for the period were two times lower, sitting at 136. Table tennis follows closely behind with 126 reports.

Focus on the Netherlands

Finally, the IBIA published data about the Dutch market and its performance. The country has come a long way since the regulation of online gaming, with the legal online industry quickly growing in popularity. Back in 2021, offshore operators still retained a large market share.

However, the country’s robust regulation efforts have managed to channel more and more people toward the legal alternative. According to the IBIA, the market share of licensed online gaming and betting operators will continue to grow through 2028.

Speaking of alerts in the Netherlands, the IBIA noted that the 2018-2022 period saw 8 suspicious cases from sporting events in the country being reported. Three of them were related to soccer, with another three being related to tennis. The remaining two reports came from beach volleyball and darts.