IBIA report shows 80% YOY increase in suspicious betting alerts for Q2 2024
Ninety suspicious betting alerts recorded during Q2 compared to 93 in Q1 2024, with North America being the least affected region
The International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) has recorded 90 suspicious betting alerts worldwide during Q2 2024, up 80% on Q2 2023 which recorded 50.
The warnings came from eight different sports, spread across 25 countries, and five continents.
Esports was the most flagged sport, with the IBIA receiving 48 suspicious betting alerts for the vertical –three times more than the next highest – which made up 54% of the Q2 total.
Soccer came in second with 16 alerts (18% of the total), followed by table tennis with 12 (13%), tennis with nine (10%), and badminton with two (2%).
Boxing, padel, and handball all had one suspicious betting alert each during the quarter, making up the remaining 3%.
Along with the overall number of suspicious alerts falling quarter on quarter, North America had the smallest number of alerts (three) out of all the regions covered in IBIA’s report.
This consisted of one soccer alert (from Panama) and two tennis alerts – one from the Dominican Republic and another from Jamaica.
The most alerts came from Europe (19), followed by Africa (11), five from South America, and four from Asia.
Overall, Poland had the highest number of alerts from a single country at six, which were all table tennis-related bets.
Algeria followed with four soccer-related alerts, Nigeria had three for table tennis and one for soccer, and Spain had three for table tennis.
Commenting on the results of the integrity report, IBIA CEO Khalid Ali said: “An increase in the Q2 and revised Q1 alerts compared to previous quarters is primarily related to a linked case in esports. 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.”
Earlier this month, IBIA called on other Latam countries to follow the example set by Brazil when it comes to implementing sporting integrity frameworks into their respective betting markets.