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MGA pens data deal with Badminton World Federation
March 9, 2023

MGA pens data deal with Badminton World Federation

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The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) has announced it has signed a data sharing agreement with the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Integrity Unit.

The deal will see the two organisations work to improve the monitoring of suspicious gambling activity in badminton.

MGA head of financial crime compliance Antonio Zerafa said he was “very pleased” to see BWF added to the list of sports governing bodies whom the regulator is already engaged with on a day-to-day basis.

“I am very pleased to see the Badminton World Federation added to the long list of Sports’ Governing Bodies whom the Authority already assists on a practical level, and we look forward to working with the BWF’s Integrity Unit on any issues that may arise,” he said.

Thomas Lund, BWF secretary general said that this partnership will support BWF in its mission of identifying possible instances of match-fixing, and will improve its capabilities in its investigations and anti-match fixing operations.

“This partnership helps the B..

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New Brazil integrity body forms in wake of scandals
March 8, 2023

New Brazil integrity body forms in wake of scandals

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A consortium of organisations with a stake in Brazilian sports betting have announced the formation of a new non-profit Brazilian sports integrity body, the Associação Brasileira de Defesa da Integridade do Esporte (ABRADIE).

The establishment of the new body follows a number of recent match-fixing scandals in the Portuguese-speaking country, which have led to a national conversation regarding its betting laws.

Involved in the creation of the association are Genius Sports, Entain, daily fantasy sports operator Rei Do Pitaco, as well as law firms Bichara e Motta and Maia Yoshiyasu Advogados, who released a joint statement following the group’s formation.

Luiz Felipe Maia from the Maia Yoshiyasu firm argued that the association was being formed at a “critical time,” due to the pressures of the growing Brazilian market and the ongoing question of regulation.

ABRADIE

ABRADIE states that it will operate as a collaborative group that will partner with regulators, federal and state la..

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IBIA reports 268 suspicious betting alerts in 2022
February 1, 2023

IBIA reports 268 suspicious betting alerts in 2022

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The International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) announced that it reported 268 suspicious sports betting alerts in 2022, a 14% year-on-year increase.

This compares with an average of 230 alerts announced between 2019 and 2021.

The association stated this increase can be largely put down to a widening of its monitoring network due to membership growth.

During the year, the IBIA added 16 new members to its ranks, meaning that 45 businesses representing 125 betting brands are now count themselves as members.

“The addition of 16 new members in 2022 has undoubtedly strengthened our monitoring and alert network and our ambition is to see all responsible regulated sports betting operators collaborating through IBIA,” said Khalid Ali, CEO of the IBIA. “Proactive and collaborative action by our sector is an essential component in the fight against match-fixing, and to enhancing the overall reputation of the sector in general.”

Divided by quarter, there were 48 alerts in Q1, rising ..

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Ontario orders halt to all UFC betting amid integrity concerns
December 1, 2022

Ontario orders halt to all UFC betting amid integrity concerns

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The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has ordered all operators in the province to stop taking bets on the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) due to integrity concerns.

The Ontario regulator said that operators should stop offering any UFC betting with immediate effect.

Ontario – which launched its regulated betting and igaming market on 4 April of this year – has a number of rules intended to protect sporting integrity.

All events for which betting is permitted “must be effectively supervised by a sport governing body which must, at minimum, prescribe final rules and enforce codes of conduct that include prohibitions on betting by insiders”.

In addition, there must be “integrity safeguards in place which are sufficient to mitigate the risk of match-fixing, cheat-at-play, and other illicit activity that might influence the outcome of bet upon events”.

The UFC in October amended its rules and regulations to ban its fighters from betting on UFC events.

However, AGC..

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Global regulators release joint World Cup statement
November 18, 2022

Global regulators release joint World Cup statement

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Regulators from France, Germany, Portugal, Spain and Great Britain have released a joint statement before the World Cup begins on 20 November, reminding operators to keep responsible gambling and player protection in mind as the tournament runs.

The regulators met in Paris, France on 15 November. L’Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ), the gambling regulator for France, said that the meeting saw a number of key issued being discussed that would affect betting during the World Cup.

“This meeting was an opportunity to address several topics, including the fight against illegal offers and the protection of players and advertising during the World Cup,” read the statement.

“On the latter topic, regulators agreed to commit to working together to closely monitor gambling operators’ compliance with advertising, betting integrity and consumer protection regulations during the World Cup.”

Earlier this month, a number of operators and advertisers signed four charters in France, which committed ..

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DSWV partners IBIA to protect sporting integrity
November 14, 2022

DSWV partners IBIA to protect sporting integrity

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The German Sports Betting Association (DSWV) and the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in an effort to protect sports integrity.

Under the arrangement, the DSWV and IBIA will work in partnership and coordinate their activities on betting and related integrity issues in Germany.

The two associations will bring together their expertise on activities aimed at promoting a viable regulated sports betting market in the country that has high consumer channelling and related consumer, sports and operator integrity protection measures.

“The partnership between the DSWV and IBIA is another welcome step forward for the German sports betting industry,” DSWV president Mathias Dahms said. “With its many years of international experience and expertise in the field of sports integrity, the IBIA will support us in strengthening the regulated market and protecting it from manipulation.

“We therefore look forward to many joint projects..

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Gambling Commission lifts Lebom suspension after Gamstop integration
November 8, 2022

Gambling Commission lifts Lebom suspension after Gamstop integration

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The Gambling Commission (GC) has lifted football prediction and betting operator Lebom Limited’s licence suspension after the company integrated with self-exclusion scheme Gamstop.

Lebom had its licence suspended on 3 November after failing to integrate with Gamstop’s self-exclusion platform. Since March 2020, It has been a mandatory requirement for operators to integrate with the service and to refuse custom to registered participants.

“Gamstop provides a crucial service for people who feel they are suffering gambling harm,” said Gambling Commission executive director of operations Kay Roberts. “It is simply unacceptable for any online operator to fail to integrate with the scheme.”

Following Lebom’s failure to register with Gamstop, the the Gambling Commission undertook a review of the business’ licence under section 116 of the 2005 Gambling Act. While it is unclear whether this process has completed, the lifting of the suspension is certainly a step forward for the business as it..

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World Cup could be make-or-break for industry marketing
October 28, 2022

World Cup could be make-or-break for industry marketing

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iGB op-ed: Many will be paying close attention to how the industry markets its products during the 2022 Fifa World Cup. Daniel O’Boyle writes that the industry’s actions during the tournament may be the difference between fuel for a further crackdown or a chance to change the tide of the debate on gambling.

Yesterday, France announced a series of new rules and recommendations on bonuses. The contents of the regulations published by regulator l’Autorité Nationale des Jeux (ANJ) are interesting for sure, but there may be more to think about beyond that.

The new rules on transparency are good, and other markets would largely benefit from requiring operators to make the terms surrounding bonuses as clear as possible.

Other rules, particularly the ban on sending bonuses to “excessive” gamblers, are clearly well-meaning but likely too vague to be implemented in the way that is hoped.

The non-binding “recommendations”, meanwhile, are hard to judge without knowing how motivated operators..

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How is safer gambling promoted at retail betting shops?
October 18, 2022

How is safer gambling promoted at retail betting shops?

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Safer gambling week special: Online gambling has got much of the attention, but preventing harm in retail betting can be a difficult problem where technological solutions can be harder to implement. iGB looks at what safer gambling tools are available at betting shops.

To the average person in the UK, the most notable sign every year that it’s Safer Gambling Week would be from betting shops.

The industry’s initiatives during the week are wide-reaching, across both physical and online spaces.

But betting shops, despite a decline in numbers in recent years, are still on almost every high street in the country. And almost every one is plastered with signs encouraging people to think more about their gambling activity.

But inside those retail betting shops, what can be done to protect customers?

As pressure from the media and government around harmful gambling grows, the industry has attempted to show that it can deal with potential harm without needing strict interventions that could..

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