With a lack of live sports markets over the spring and summer of 2020, betting companies and punters alike switched their attention towards a range of new sports, leagues and betting opportunities – but doing so resulted in fresh concerns regarding the integrity of such markets.

What is it?

Although the COVID-19 pandemic brought a lot of changes to how sport was held, it did expose the betting industry to greater risk. Taken from the SBC Summit Barcelona – Digital conference this session looks at if integrity stakeholders have an obligation to be more aggressive internally to safeguard the business and the wider industry.

The panel discussed whether negative press surrounding lower league games and potential risks of match-fixing meant that operators chose not to offer particular markets to ensure that betting integrity was maintained. 

Who is it?

Oliver Lamb, Head Sportsbook Controller, Kambi

Niels Erik Folmann, CEO, Danske Spil

Gilles Maillet, Director of Sports Integrity, LFDJ

Faiz Kabir, Senior Integrity Manager, Sportradar

Silvia Paleari, Senior Public Affairs Manager, IBIA

What is being said?

Kabir: “The impact of COVID-19 has certainly presented some challenges from an integrity standpoint. As sports and events which were usually on the fringes suddenly entered the spotlight, our integrity team had to adapt quickly to the situation when the likes of esports and table tennis quickly became the most popular betting markets back in April. 

“However, we were very equipped to deal with this due our very diverse team of analysts with specialists in such markets. It was then up to the remainder of our team – who may not have been as familiar with such sports – to build up their knowledge which was definitely a challenge that they met head on. 

“In addition, there was an enhanced risk due to many lower-level competitions suddenly generating large betting volumes. While Sportradar already has a strong internal control environment to help protect against issues such as ghost games, we decided to implement enhanced measures during the COVID-19 period. 

“We decided to monitor all events that we provide data for which was a significant undertaking but one that we felt was vital to manage and mitigate integrity risks during the pandemic period. We also implemented code of conduct for participants as well as education initiatives and integrity training for events organisers and athletes.”

Why should I watch it?

To see how the industry has tackled integrity issues presented during the COVID pandemic. 

Where can I see more?
Source: SBC YouTube Channel