PRO14 Rugby partners with Sportradar to protect integrity

The multi-year agreement will see all 152 games each season from the Guinness PRO14 monitored by Sportradar’s Fraud Detection System (FDS), which is the most technically advanced bet monitoring system available, and the only such system to be independently assessed and verified by recognised experts in the field of sports betting and integrity.

The FDS is part of a 360-degree approach from Sportradar that includes automated alerts from over 550 global bookmakers, which are then reviewed by a dedicated team of sports and betting integrity experts.

Aiding this process, FDS monitoring also encompasses anonymised account-level individual bet data from more than 100 global operators, ensuring that partners receive the complete betting integrity picture surrounding their sports at both national and international levels.

The Guinness PRO14 joins other iconic Rugby Union brands such as World Rugby, the Six Nations, European Championship Rugby, New Zealand Rugby Union, Australian Rugby Union, Italian Rugby Union and the Rugby Football Union as proud partners of Sportradar Integrity Services.

Martin Anayi, CEO of PRO14 Rugby, said: “As the Guinness PRO14 continues to grow and set new standards on the pitch and on the commercial front, it is vital that we ensure that the integrity of the Championship remains uncompromised. Behind the scenes we are doing a lot of work around governance and this partnership with Sportradar adds an extra level of credibility and scrutiny to the tournament. Sportradar work with over 75 governing bodies and tournaments across the world and we are delighted to be a part of lengthy list that includes the FIFA, UEFA, the NBA, the NHL, World Rugby, Six Nations, EPCR, ECB, the RFL, the AFL, the IOC and the ICC.”

Andreas Krannich, Managing Director of Integrity Services at Sportradar said: “We are delighted to be working alongside Guinness PRO14 and offering our expertise to help safeguard the competition against integrity related threats. Drawing upon our unrivalled experience in the field of sporting integrity, and driven by our market leading FDS solution, we are committed to helping our sporting partners detect and prevent manipulation, and to identify and mitigate all forms of integrity risk. With our expanding footprint across rugby union internationally, we are more able to protect the game as a whole, and uphold the values and traditions of this globally loved sport.”

ABOUT THE GUINNESS PRO14 CHAMPIONSHIP

The Guinness PRO14 Championship is made up of 14 clubs – four Irish, four Welsh, two Scottish, two Italian and two South African teams. Teams play a total of 21 games in the regular season across two conferences with the six top-ranked teams qualifying for the Guinness PRO14 Final Series. A total of 297 International players appeared in the Guinness PRO14 during the 2017/18 season while the Championship has the fastest rucks globally – 81% at 3 seconds or less – which has led to record try-scoring. For more information about the Guinness PRO14 visit www.pro14rugby.org.