ESSA reports 266 suspicious betting cases in 2017

ESSA reported 226 cases of suspicious betting activity to the relevant authorities in 2017.

Tennis remained the most reported sports with 160 cases, with football coming in second with a total of 45 reports, jointly amounting to 77% of all cases.

Alerts covering all other sports grew to 23%, up from 8%, while 114 of all alerts for the year were recorded in the fourth quarter.

In terms of location, Europe remains the leading region for suspicious betting activity, accounting for 54% of all reports, with Asia some way behind in second with a 19% share.

Khalid Ali, secretary general of ESSA, said: “The past year has proved to be one of our most challenging and yet productive to date.

“The effectiveness of the association’s alert system, bolstered by an expanding membership, continues to be publicly recognised by key stakeholders.

“New information sharing agreements have also been put in place so that we can react more readily to changing trends and challenges to both our members’ businesses and our partners around the world.

“There is a growing focus on betting integrity in existing and potential new markets and ESSA has sought to reflect this in its responses to policy consultations and in its wider engagement.

“The coming year is set to be another important period for the betting sector and integrity will again be high on the agenda.

“ESSA will continue to promote the adoption of proportionate and effective integrity policies and market regulations.”

Related article: ESSA flags 72 suspicious betting cases in Q3