Gamesys Group-subsidiary, Virgin Bet, has demonstrated its commitment to anti-corruption measures by confirming its membership to the newly-rebranded International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA).
With over 50 brands now members, including the Association of British Bookmakers (ABB), H2 Gambling Capital and Perform, Virgin Bet will help facilitate the expansion of the IBIA’s monitoring and alert platform, while also benefiting from the association’s representation in policy discussions.
Khalid Ali, Secretary General of the International Betting Integrity Association, welcomed the move, commenting: “The Virgin brand is one of the most recognised in the world and I am delighted that one of Virgin Bet’s first acts is to commit to investing in the integrity of its product and sporting events by joining our association.
“I can’t stress enough how important it is for operators to engage collectively on this issue from both a corporate responsibility and business perspective.”
The IBIA utilises collective action to ensure that its members are not impacted by betting corruption, while also establishing long-term partnerships with sports and gambling regulators to utilise betting data and prevent corruption.
Simon Mizzi, Marketing Director at Virgin Bet, said: “Betting-related corruption in sport represents a serious risk to all operators. It is why licensing and regulatory processes around the world are increasingly focusing on integrity measures.
“Membership of the International Betting Integrity Association, a global leader in that field, is the most effective way of highlighting our commitment to protecting our customers and sporting events. We go into our new enterprise with the best possible business protection.”
The integrity-focused association currently acts as a prominent figurehead in the promotion of integrity across the regulated sports betting industry. It utilises collective action through its Monitoring & Alert Platform as a means to allow operators and industry stakeholders to report suspicious activity on its members’ betting markets.
Working alongside sports bodies such as FIFA, UEFA, the TIU and the IOC, the IBIA monitors transactional activity linked to individual accounts and uses this data to collaborate with regulators in preventing corruption. This differs to other models which monitor the live betting odds markets.
