Manny Wood

The second annual report of Sportradar Integrity Services was recently released. It is pretty much focused on tracking suspicious betting signals. According to the report titled "Betting Corruption and Match-fixing in 2022", there were 1,212 matches played across ninety-two countries in twelve different sports that were flagged as suspicious. Out of 850,000 monitored matches and 70 sports globally, these suspicious events were singled out, highlighting Sportradar's ability to deploy effective solutions that ensure the integrity of sports worldwide. Sportradar mentioned that this figure was a 34% increase from the previous year. However, it is confirmed that 99.5% of all sports events are free from manipulation and match-fixing, indicating that efforts to tackle corruption in sports at all levels, especially in manipulating game results, are progressing well. Honest supporters of international sports have been let down by widespread fraud, money laundering, and corrupt practices by some players, coaches, and spectators. Regaining public trust will be a long road for international sports and regulators. One way to address these issues is through investment in AI software to minimize illegal activity in online betting. Although positive steps are being taken to mitigate the risk, regulators must remain vigilant not only to the sophisticated means by which sports integrity is compromised but also to the mechanisms available to detect illegal activity. AI technology is already widely used for scouting, coaching, and performance improvement. With the evolution of AI and its improved accuracy and detection capabilities, it is an opportune time to consider its use in the sports industry as a means of detecting and preventing fraud, corruption, and money laundering. Sportradar is the first one who shows to the public that AI really benefits not only businesses but also the community. No sport reported numbers above 1% of their total matches played, indicating that progress is being made in efforts to combat corruption in sports. Sportradar has significantly enhanced its monitoring capabilities by deploying powerful Artificial Intelligence (AI) solutions directly into its Universal Fraud Detection System (UFDS), which is the division’s core platform for safeguarding sports. UFDS possesses impressive analytical capabilities with its ability to examine over 30 billion odds and fluctuations annually and collaborate with over 600 operators across the globe. Sportradar Integrity Services Managing Director Andreas Krannich revealed that they have taken an even more proactive approach to uncover match-fixing in 2022. The company has implemented a new AI model and has developed more formal working relationships with bookmakers through the launch of its Integrity Exchange, which resulted in over 300 alerts. The AI model alone detected 438 suspicious matches, reducing the time human investigators spent on tracking suspicious signals or verifying data. Regarding the sports with the most suspicious matches, the data showed that soccer had the most, with 775 detected in 2022. Basketball was next with 220 suspicious matches, and Europe produced the most suspicious betting alerts, with 630 matches compared to 240 for Asia and 225 in South America. Krannich confirmed that Sportradar's technology and solutions enable the company to monitor more matches and analyze data more precisely, helping to protect the sports betting industry as a whole. Sportradar's UFDS remains at the forefront of monitoring and integrity efforts.