ESSA cites 130 cases of suspicious betting activity in 2016

Integrity body ESSA has revealed that it reported 130 cases of suspicious betting activity during 2016, with tennis once again the main sport of concern.

Tennis was responsible for 103 reports in the past year, with football far behind in second with 16 cases.

From a geographical perspective, Europe attracted the most reports, with a total of 71 cases put forward in the 12-month period, 45 of which in relation to tennis, while Asia came in second with 24 reported cases.

ESSA chairman Mike O’Kane said: “The figures show that the dangers from the misuse of insider information and match-fixing persist for betting operators.

“As with previous years, we expect 2017 to entail challenges to the commercial activities of our sector.

“ESSA will continue to be an ardent and vocal supporter of responsible regulated operators and utilise our alert system to protect our growing list of members, consumers and sports from betting related corruption.

“We intend to progress a number of constructive actions in this area during 2017 and in particular work closer with sports governing bodies and rights holders on more collaborative relationships.”

Related article: 888sport signs up with ESSA