The International Betting Integrity Association says it observed a drop in the number of suspicious betting alerts in 2023, with the UK reporting 31 alerts – the most of any market.
The 184 total alerts translated to a 35 per cent drop in alerts, down by 101 from the 2022 figure of 285.
What’s more, the IBIA said the overall 2023 figure is “significantly below the average of 244 annual alerts for the period 2019-2022.”
The second highest number of alerts from any market came in the Czech Republic (18), with Brazil following suit in third in the list with 11.
However, IBIA CEO Khalid Ali said the “greatest threat” to sports integrity comes from unregulated operators, “most notably in Asia.”
He added: “The fall in last year’s global alert numbers is encouraging. 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 IBIA, sports and regulators is a winning combination.”
Football was the sport with the highest number of alerts (63), followed by tennis (54).
Ali said: “The ongoing decrease in tennis alerts, along with notable reductions in table tennis and esports, is very encouraging. 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.”
