IBIA partners with the Brazilian Institute of Responsible Gaming against match-fixing in sporting events

The Brazilian Institute of Responsible Gaming (IBJR) has signed a sports betting integrity protection agreement with the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) to develop activities that reinforce monitoring against match-fixing and reliability in sporting events and online betting in Brazil.

The partnership between the associations is a response to the arrival of regulation in the sector and the manipulation of matches and bets concerning Brazilian sporting events. "The agreement aims to strengthen ties between the two associations, collaborating in actions that seek to establish a viable betting market with high onshore consumer channeling rates and ensure the integrity of the Brazilian market, one of the largest in the world," according to a press release.

IBIA is an industry-led sports integrity monitoring organization that represents over 120 licensed sports betting brands globally that cross-reference alerts generated by the security systems of member operators in order to identify suspicious bets linked to match-fixing. IBIA members can provide exclusive data to be used as evidence in investigations such as those currently taking place in Brazil, notes the association.

IBIA and IBJR are not-for-profit bodies that are run 'by operators for operators" with a core mission to protect regulated sports betting markets, especially for sports and consumers, the partners said.

According to H2 Gambling Capital, IBIA members are estimated to account for over 60% of the remote gambling market in Brazil. The firm estimates that the Brazilian sports betting market grew by 44.4% from 2021 to 2022, reaching BRL4,506 million ($940 million) in gross gambling revenue (GGR), and is projected to reach BRL 9,265 million ($1,860 million) in GGR by 2027 (105% increase).

André Gelfi, IBJR's CEO, said: "Sector regulation is essential to increase the authorities' monitoring and collaboration actions to curb match-fixing schemes, protecting sports betting companies and Brazilian bettors. To that end, we have already introduced IBIA representatives to the key authorities so that closer cooperation can be established to tackle the issue effectively".

For his part, Khalid Ali, CEO of IBIA, said: "IBIA is delighted to reach this important agreement with the IBJR. It is clear from our conversations that we share the same values and goals for the Brazilian sports betting market. That prioritizes the integrity of the betting product and the protection of consumers and sporting events in Brazil. We will now be seeking to explore joint projects that progress those important objectives."

He further explained that what differentiates IBIA from commercial odds monitoring systems is the ability to track transactional activities linked to individual consumer accounts rather than analyzing simple betting odds movements, which can contribute to improved protection of the sports betting market in Brazil.

IBJR recently published an Advertising Self-Regulation Code for sports betting, and IBIA published its Q1 integrity report and highlighted its expansion into Brazil.