There was a “notable” 17 per cent decline in the number of suspicious sports matches pointing to potential match-fixing in 2024, according to Sportradar.
The sports technology company, whose Integrity Services division monitors match-fixing trends, said the drop comes after “consecutive years” of rising numbers of suspicious matches across all sports.
Sportradar’s Integrity in Action 2024 Global Analysis & Trends report detected 1,108 suspicious matches across 70 sports from a pool of 850,000 fixtures monitored.
Europe, which has “historically” faced the “most significant” sports integrity issues, housed the biggest number of suspicious matches.
But the continent ended 2024 with a 34 per cent reduction in suspicious matches, down to 439 from 668 in 2023.
“Notably, the world’s most popular sport, soccer, saw a considerable downturn, with 721 suspicious matches detected in 2024, a reduction of 18 per cent from 881 matches in 2023,” Sportradar said.
Brazilian football, which has been affected by match-fixing cases in recent times as opposed to reports or detections of match-fixing, saw a 48 per cent decline in reports, down to 57 from 110 in 2023.
But match-fixing “remains a persistent issue worldwide,” Sportradar insisted.
The company’s executive vice president, Integrity, Rights, Protection and Regulatory Services, Andreas Krannich, said: “While the notable reduction in suspicious matches in 2024 gives us reason to be optimistic, it also signals the need for continued vigilance and innovation, given that the number remains significant.
"Our investment in innovation combined with data insights into the betting industry and continued education on integrity are at the forefront of keeping pace with the ever-evolving global sports integrity landscape.
“We remain committed to refining our methods and capabilities and collaborating across the sports and betting industries to support foundational fair play and safeguard the integrity of sports worldwide.”
