ITF confirms ban on live scoring data for $15k events

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) and Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU) Supervisory Board has announced plans to ramp up integrity safeguards for the World Tennis Tour (WTT), including a ban on the collection of live scoring data for minor events offering prize money up to $15,000.

This marks a significant climb-down from the original proposal, which would have banned live streaming and data collection on events with prize pools of up to $25,000.

It was one of seven recommendations put forward by an independent review panel in May last year, designed to uphold the integrity of the sport, before being revised in December 2018.

The prohibition will be accompanied by the creation of more events with a prize pot of at least $25k, to discourage unofficial data collection at the $15k events.

Following that final, revised report, efforts have already been taken to reduce the supply of live scoring data for these events, and up to 3,500 fewer matches will have been made available to betting markets in 2019, compared to 2018.

Further reductions will continue during 2020 and 2021, until it has been phased out completely.

The fight against the proposed ban on data collection and streaming for $25k events was led by the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA). It argued that the move would push bookmakers to using unofficial data feeds to offer markets on these events, ultimately creating greater risk of manipulation.

“In-play betting makes up 80% of IBIA members’ tennis markets and over 95% at ITF level,” IBIA chief executive Khalid Ali explained. “Retaining live data for $25k matches and setting out an expansion of that tour is an overwhelmingly beneficial move by tennis both from an integrity and commercial standpoint.

“Removing all ITF World Tennis Tour data from regulated operators would have led to the undesirable situation of consumers seeking that product through unregulated channels, with the corresponding loss of market oversight and the ability to detect and punish corruption.”

The ITF's data partner Sportradar, meanwhile, praised the body for its proactive approach in addressing the concerns raised by the Independent Review Panel, to build an integrity programme that “is second to none in the sport”.

This forms part of a broader strategy to enhance integrity safeguards for the sport, based on recommendations set out in the panel’s final report. To ensure suspicious betting patterns are quickly identified, markets on ITF events will be monitored, in partnership with the TIU, while the governing body will collaborate closely with data suppliers and betting operators.

A new system of accreditation and access control for WTT events will also be rolled out, alongside video recording of matches and added security to deter unofficial data collection. On-site integrity protection personnel will also be put in place at events, while whistleblowing channels will be refined. In total the ITF intends to invest $8m in enhancing integrity controls.

“Our commitment to protecting the integrity of the World Tennis Tour is paramount,” ITF president David Haggerty explained. “The comprehensive package of measures we have agreed with both the ITF Board and the Tennis Integrity Supervisory Board go beyond the Independent Review Panel’s (IRP) recommendations for removing the supply of live scoring data at WTT $15k events.

“This is a programme that looks holistically at all aspects of integrity across the full World Tennis Tour calendar,” he continued. “The scale of this project is unprecedented. We are confident that it will deliver real benefits for all participants and will contribute to the trend of reducing corruption risk seen in 2019.”

Jennie Price, chair of the Tennis Integrity Supervisory Board, added that implementing the prohibition on live scoring data for $15k events was a key priority for the watchdog.

“Detailed work on implementation of the recommendation has made it clear how important it will be to ensure that official data is not simply replaced by unofficial data,” Price said. “The enhanced security and accreditation processes planned by the ITF are essential to ensure that the playing environment is properly protected and the opportunities for unofficial data collection are minimised.”

Tennis governing bodies have been under pressure to step up efforts to fight corruption since a joint Buzzfeed-BBC News investigation in 2016 claimed to have uncovered widespread evidence of match-fixing at the top levels of the sport. This prompted a root-and-branch review of all existing controls, in order to better tackle the issue.

Data from the IBIA suggests these efforts may be having the desired effect. In the association’s Q3 integrity report, the number of suspicious activity alerts generated for tennis matches was down 40% year-on-year, at 72.