Suspicious betting alerts down 54% in Q3 2024, reports IBIA

Garance Limouzy October 23, 2024

The International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) to relevant authorities in the third quarter (Q3) of 2024, marking an impressive 54 percent drop from the 91 alerts recorded in the previous quarter (Q2 2024). When compared to Q3 2023, the Q3 2024 total is down by 16 percent, falling from 50 alerts a year prior. The IBIA, an organisation focused on maintaining integrity across regulated betting markets globally, continues to oversee over $300 billion in annual sports betting turnover through its monitoring of more than 125 betting brands across six continents. As noted by the association, the incidents in Q3 2024 spanned five sports, 18 countries, and five continents.

Breakdown of alerts in Q3

Khalid Ali, CEO of IBIA, explained: “The third quarter saw football and tennis register the highest number of alerts, albeit those numbers are in line with those seen in recent years and, in the case of tennis, represent a significant decrease compared to its peak. It should also be noted that esports alerts fell back to more normal levels in Q3, following an increase during Q1 and Q2 that was primarily the result of a linked case”.

Among the 42 alerts recorded in Q3, football, and tennis were the sports most commonly associated with suspicious betting activities. Each sport accounted for 14 alerts, making up approximately 67 percent of the overall total. This dominance of football and tennis in betting integrity concerns has been consistent in recent years, according to the IBIA, with football markets alone forecasted to generate over $500 billion in turnover globally by the end of 2024. Q3’s data reflects a decline in European alerts and a more diverse distribution across sports and countries, pointing to a potential stabilisation of suspicious betting activities on the continent. On the other hand, Burundi stood out in Q3, with five alerts—12 percent of the total. Notably, Burundi had not recorded any suspicious betting alerts since 2020 until the recent uptick in 2024. One of the most significant declines in Q3 was seen in esports. Only 12 esports-related alerts were flagged during this period, representing a 75 percent decrease compared to the 48 alerts seen in Q2 2024. As per IBIA, the surge in alerts during the first half of 2024 was linked to a single case, and esports activity has since returned to more standard levels.

Future challenges

IBIA’s integrity report for Q3 draws attention to the global football betting market, projected to reach a turnover of over $500 billion in 2024, generating a gross win of $46.3 billion. The scale of these figures stresses the challenges regulators face in maintaining market integrity, particularly as consumers increasingly expect access to core betting markets.

As sports betting markets grow and change, particularly in regions like Latin America, IBIA’s work in ensuring integrity will remain crucial to maintaining trust in global betting markets.

A renewed commitment

IBIA’s data and monitoring efforts are critical in identifying and reporting unusual betting activities. Through its partnerships with major sports organisations such as FIFA, UEFA, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA), and others, the association aims to ensure that sports betting remains free from corruption. “We continue to work closely with the integrity authorities for those sports, and indeed all sports, where we see suspicious betting, with the aim of detecting and sanctioning corrupt activity to protect sporting events and betting markets,” explained Ali.