“We envision a global betting turnover that exceeds USD 6.7B across the Games”

Sportradar has collaborated with federations and bookmakers to prevent match-fixing. Are you working with any company, sports federation or government agency at the moment in regards to the Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro? What are you focused on?

In November 2015, we agreed an MoU with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) with the objective of improved information sharing and exploring other insight-sharing opportunities. Since that time, we have worked with the IOC on assessing the risks for each sport of the upcoming 2016 Olympic which will start this month in Rio. Sportradar were also invited by the IOC to take part in a workshop with Brazilian national police forces to raise awareness and educate them on potential risks and to improve their understanding of the match-fixing phenomenon as it relates to these Games.

What Olympic sports are more permeable to match-fixing or corruption and why?

The general principles of match fixing apply to the Olympic as much as they relate to sport worldwide. Therefore, those sports that attract the greatest betting attention and/or turnover globally are most vulnerable. Looking down the list of Olympic sports, the sports with the most betting turnover are football, basketball and tennis. Another characteristic that needs to be factored into the analysis is whether the sports are team sports or individual contests. It stands to reason that the less competitors are engaged in a contest, the less likely it is that whistle-blowers will exist and the greater the ability to influence the results.

How has technology to keep sports free from match-fixing evolved in recent years?

Technology has played a crucial factor in improving defences against match-fixing. Our own Fraud Detection System employs the most sophisticated algorithms to monitor, interrogate and identify anomalous betting patterns. The Fraud Detection System has completely bespoke version for 12 different sports and hundreds of different leagues and tournaments. In 2013 the IOC created its ‘Integrity Betting Intelligence System’, a platform which allocates and analyses information potentially linked to competition manipulation. Modern e-learning tools have also allowed players and participants to complete education programmes and for rights holders to track when and how their modules are completed. This ensures that the educational products are completed, understood and refreshed as necessary. Finally, developments in Open Source Intelligence gathering and analysis has allowed teams such as our Fraud Intelligence Unit to clarify the operations and relationships between the most notorious fixers and all those who enable them. That component, when combined with credible monitoring, has given sport and law enforcement agencies unprecedented insight into the actions attacking the integrity of a whole range of sports worldwide.

Which countries or regions tend to bet more on the Olympics? What sports are most popular among bettors? Can you share statistics about the last Olympics?

Asia remains a key betting region due to the availability of operators and liquid betting markets. However, Europe, North America and Australasia will also make significant contributions to global turnover figures due to the number of regular bettors in those areas that are interested in the Olympic Games and the sports. We estimate that of the sports being contested in Rio, football, tennis, basketball and athletics will garner the most interest and therefore most betting activity.

At the 2012 London Olympic Games, over 200 operators offered markets on the football competitions, while the basketball games were offered by over 150 bookmakers.

What are your expectations and projections for these Olympics?

It is always difficult to predict but we envision a global betting turnover that exceeds €6 billion across the Games. We think that this year’s Games will see as many as 350 betting operators offering markets for the major events (compared to around 200 in 2012). Needless, to say, the favourable time zone should see North American betting turnover increase, while South American operators will also reach record levels due to the proximity of the 2016 Olympic Games.

Taking into account that gambling is illegal in Brazil, how does this impact the industy?

Many major global operators offer a Portuguese version of their websites to attract Brazilian bettors, so betting from within that country is likely to be channelled through foreign operators based in Europe, North America and other areas of South and central America, alongside those channelled through illegal bookmakers at a local level. Any betting activity that is driven into these unregulated or offshore areas will be more difficult for Brazilian authorities to track and monitor.

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Systems like the Sportradar Fraud Detection System, which monitors over 450 operators worldwide, is well placed to spot any irregular betting activities that may well be indicative of integrity attacks

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