North America Accounts For 5% Of IBIA Global Betting Alerts

• The International Betting Integrity Association has released its 2020 Q1 figures.
• There have been 61 cases of reported suspicious betting around the world.
• North America only accounts for 5% of the cases.

LAS VEGAS — The 2020 Q1 numbers for the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) have been released. There have been a total of 61 reported cases of suspicious sports betting activity. Of the 61 cases, however, only 5% of them have been reported in the United States.

IBIA Q1 Figures

In the 2020 first-quarter figures, of the 61 reported cases, only three of them were linked back to the United States for suspicious betting activity. The 61 cases, though, are 36% higher than the 45 cases in Q4 of 2019 and 65% higher than the Q1 figure of 2019.

The numbers in the United States have been low since the coronavirus had put all sports on hiatus and sportsbooks have been on a slight decline in overall business.

“The industry’s main focus is quite understandably on product availability and business viability in a particularly challenging period for the sector globally. That said, it is important to note that the vulnerability of sports and betting to corruption remains an ever-present danger to operator finances. IBIA saw an increase in suspicious betting activity in the week leading to the global sports shutdown highlighting the opportunism of corrupters,” said Khalid Ali, CEO of IBIA.

The highest numbers in the figure come from Europe where there have been 27 cases which make up 44% of the total reported cases. There has also been a decrease in the sports that had suspicious betting activity.

The popular sports in the United States have taken a dip since the coronavirus pandemic has put a hiatus on sports and the only legal sports betting options left are for more niche sports like table tennis and esports.

“IBIA saw an increase in suspicious betting activity in the week leading to the global sports shutdown highlighting the opportunism of corrupters. Whilst there has since been a relative lull, we fully expect the business threat to rise as sports is restored and betting product catalogs return to a level of normality. Indeed, it is clear that corrupters are still operating and seeking to exploit the current situation. IBIA will continue to utilize its unique global monitoring platform to protect its members and sports from fraud during this difficult time; product integrity and consumer trust will be key to the sector’s recovery,” said Ali.

News tags: IBIA | IBIA North America | Khalid Ali | Sports