World leading betting integrity body IBIA expands operations in Brazil

The expansion comes in response to upcoming government regulation, the rapid growth of the Brazilian sports-betting market, and IBIA data confirming that Brazilian sport is a regional target for criminal match-fixers.

IBIA is the largest operator-run integrity monitor in Europe and is a leading player across newly opened North American jurisdictions such as Ontario. According to H2 Gambling Capital – the leading independent authority on global gambling market data – IBIA members are estimated to already account for over 60% of the remote gambling market in Brazil. That leading market position will enable IBIA to provide a highly accurate analysis and effective deterrent against match-fixing related betting fraud in Brazil. IBIA is therefore uniquely positioned to support a crack-down on match-fixing in the country. 

Speaking in advance of the government’s Provisional Measure on sports betting regulation, Khalid Ali, IBIA CEO, said: “We welcome the Brazilian government’s decision to regulate the sports betting industry as an overwhelmingly positive move. As IBIA’s 2021 optimum betting market study confirms, balanced and efficient sports betting regulation is part of the solution to sports betting related match-fixing. IBIA looks forward to working with policymakers to ensure Brazil enjoys the full benefits of a dynamic and competitive sports betting market, whilst reducing the risks of match-fixing.” 

IBIA is committed to sharing data with sports, regulators and law enforcement that enables those bodies to identify, investigate and prosecute match-fixers with a high degree of precision. The association achieves this by cross-referencing alerts raised by the highly sophisticated security systems of its members to identify suspicious betting potentially linked to match-fixing. IBIA’s members can then provide unique account-level data to use as evidence in subsequent investigations. 

Khalid Ali adds: “What sets IBIA apart from commercial monitoring systems is the ability to track transactional activity linked to individual consumer accounts rather than analysing simple odds movements. No other sports integrity solution can provide access to this data, which covers over US$137bn in sports betting turnover per annum, making IBIA the largest and most effective integrity network of its nature globally.”

 H2 Gambling Capital estimates that the Brazilian sports betting market grew by 44.4% from 2021 to 2022 reaching BRL4,506m (US$940m) in gross gambling revenue (GGR), and is projected to reach BRL9,265m (US$1,860m) in GGR by 2027 (105% increase). Given this rapid growth, IBIA and its members are particularly focussed on utilizing the attributes of its unique global monitoring and alert system to bolster the protection of the regulated betting market and sporting events in Brazil. IBIA’s recently published Q1 Integrity Report contains a targeted analysis of alerts in the Latin American market, with 105 suspicious alerts across the region during 2018-22. Brazil was the main source of suspicious betting alerts across LatAm (31%), with football accounting for the majority (61%) of those. 

Khalid Ali continues: “IBIA is a not-for-profit body that has no competing conflicts from the delivery of commercial services to other sectors; the association is run by operators for operators with a core mission to protect regulated sports betting markets, especially for sports and consumers. Responsible regulated sports betting operators have a significant incentive to help crack-down on match-fixing and IBIA intends to be at the forefront of that preventative action in Brazil. “IBIA’s advocacy expertise and monitoring and alert network will have a vital role to play in helping Brazil successfully deter, investigate and prosecute match-fixing. As part of our expansion, we aim to utilise data sharing agreements with regulators, sports and law enforcement agencies to ensure the integrity of Brazilian sport and the regulated betting market. Our experience in education and cross-sector programmes such as IBIA’s Data Standards group, involving major global sports betting data companies, can also make a significant contribution to protecting Brazilian sport from the dangers of match-fixing.”