Brazilian regulator names four integrity partners ahead of January market launch
SPA signs agreements with the International Betting Integrity Association, Genius Sports, Sportradar and Sport Integrity Global Alliance to protect against match-fixing and manipulation
Brazil’s Prizes and Betting Secretariat (SPA) has partnered with four firms specialising in integrity monitoring to strengthen its resources before the regulated market launches in January 2025.
The regulator, acting on behalf of Brazil’s Ministry of Finance, has signed Technical Cooperation Agreements (ACTs) with Genius Sports, the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA), Sport Integrity Global Alliance (SIGA) and Sportradar.
The five-year agreements will see the four organisations supply information about the betting market movements to the SPA, with a view of delivering holistic data to clamp down on bad actors.
Each company will also assist in the training of SPA staff to help them better identify cases of match-fixing and fraud.
The SPA has stressed that the agreements will involve no payment between the parties, with the focus being to “strengthen the security of the entire system, protecting the betting market, sports and society as a whole”.
The regulator added that similar deals may be agreed with other companies in the future.
SPA secretary Regis Dudena said: “[The companies] will train us so that we can identify possible cases of manipulation and related fraud, in addition to sharing information. It is a two-way street.
“We can and should share information so that all operators can be aware of suspicious cases.”
Felippe Marchetti, Sportradar manager for integrity partnerships in Brazil, said: “The signing of the ACT is a proud occasion for Sportradar and we appreciate the trust shown by the Brazilian Ministry of Finance in the expertise of Sportradar’s Integrity Services division.
“This ACT reflects a mutual commitment to establish a sustainable, regulated sports betting industry in Brazil that is built upon a foundation of integrity.”
Khalid Ali, IBIA CEO, added: “Collaboration and information sharing are key to the success of this ecosystem. Under this agreement IBIA will identify and report suspicious betting on Brazilian sporting events to the Ministry of Finance to support investigatory actions. That will include detailed customer account data that is only available to IBIA and its members.”
Back in July, the IBIA hailed Brazil’s approach to maintaining sporting integrity as a “template that should be replicated across the Latam region”.
Brazil’s regulated sports betting market is set to go live in January 2025, with prospective operators having to pay a BRL30m (£4.2m) fee for a licence.
The licence will be valid for five years and allow companies to launch three brands within the market.
Earlier this month, the SPA released its list of 96 approved operators and the associated 210 brands for the market’s January launch.
The regulator also requested the blocking of 2,040 unlicensed operators by Brazil’s National Telecommunications Agency, which in turn alerted over 20,000 telephone companies to start the process of removing website domains.