The International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) reported a 17% increase in suspicious betting alerts in 2024, rising from a revised total of 187 alerts recorded in 2023. Despite this surge, the current figure remains 11% lower than the average of 245 alerts reported annually between 2020 and 2023.
Football and tennis were again the two sports that generated the highest number of notifications, with 75 and 58 alerts, respectively. Together, these sports accounted for 61% of all reports, a decrease from 64% in 2023.
The IBIA's alert system led to the identification of 33 matches that were deemed corrupted. Consequently, the organization was involved in the sanctioning of 17 clubs, players, and officials who violated betting regulations.
The IBIA represents over 70 member companies that together generate an annual global betting turnover of $300 billion (£240 billion/€287.7 billion), which encompasses roughly 50% of all regulated commercial online betting activities. Khalid Ali, the CEO of IBIA, expressed the organization's commitment to thwarting match-fixing by collaborating with its members.
"As with all potentially corrupt activity, IBIA is analysing the data and working with its members and global integrity network to implement targeted countermeasures," Ali stated. "IBIA’s growing membership are resolute in their commitment to identifying, disrupting, and preventing corrupt sports betting activity and to working with stakeholders."
Europe saw the most significant improvements in the latest report, with suspicious betting notifications reducing from 113 in 2023 to 80 in 2024. The continent's share of alerts dropped to 37%, compared to 60% the previous year. However, Ali cautioned that it remains too early to ascertain whether this downward trend will continue.
The Czech Republic recorded the highest number of suspicious betting alerts at 19, surpassing the UK's total, which plummeted from 31 in 2023 to just four in 2024. Turkey followed with 11 alerts.
In Asia, alerts more than doubled, increasing from 17 to 40, while Africa's total rose from 16 to 28. The IBIA stated it would monitor these trends closely to determine if they represent anomalies or require further intervention. Despite a match-fixing scandal in Brazil during 2024, the country saw a decrease in notifications, dropping from 11 in 2023 to seven this year.
The report also highlighted specific trends in suspicious alerts by sport. Table tennis ranked third, recording 36 suspicious alerts, with 33 occurring in the second and fourth quarters. Esports notifications soared from seven to 32, reflecting a staggering increase of 357% year-on-year. Basketball alerts doubled from five to ten, primarily linked to first-quarter games. In contrast, darts reported no notifications after having 17 in 2023, while boxing, bowls, and cricket each fell to just one alert after having three the previous year.
