IBIA Flags 70 Suspicious Bets in Q1 as Tennis, eSports and LatAm Drive Risk
The International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) reported 70 suspicious betting alerts across 10 sports in Q1 2026, with most activity concentrated in football (36%), tennis (24%) and eSports (22%).
At first glance, the headline number looks broadly consistent with recent quarters. However, a closer look at how these alerts are distributed reveals something more important: integrity risks are still heavily concentrated in specific parts of the market, particularly lower-tier competitions and recently regulated regions.
Tennis and Table Tennis Continue to Raise Concerns
Tennis generated 16 alerts during the quarter, and notably, six of these came from events outside the main professional tours. Table tennis added another seven alerts – all of them linked to competitions outside International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) oversight.
This isn’t a new trend, but it remains a persistent one. Risk tends to cluster in environments where player earnings are lower, oversight is limited, and liquidity is still sufficient to attract betting interest.
For operators, this creates a familiar but critical challenge. Non-tour tennis and smaller table tennis circuits continue to represent high-risk betting inventory. In these segments, pricing strategies, betting limits, and market availability need to reflect the higher probability of manipulation. Relying purely on automated monitoring systems is unlikely to be enough.
Football Alerts Largely Driven by the Americas
Football accounted for 25 alerts overall, with North America responsible for nearly half of them. Mexico alone contributed eight cases, making it a standout within the dataset.
This is particularly notable given Mexico’s status as a high-volume, high-liquidity betting market. It also comes at a time when integrity scrutiny across CONCACAF competitions remains active.
What the data suggests is relatively straightforward: market maturity does not eliminate integrity risk. In fact, risk can persist – or even grow – in environments where betting activity scales faster than governance and enforcement mechanisms.
eSports Continues to Operate in a Grey Area
eSports recorded 15 alerts, representing 22% of the total. Unlike traditional sports, these cases are classified as “global,” reflecting the cross-border nature of competitions.
From an operational perspective, eSports presents a different kind of challenge. Jurisdictional oversight is fragmented, and questions around event legitimacy and player verification are still not fully resolved.
While the vertical continues to deliver strong engagement and growth, it also carries a level of integrity uncertainty – especially in lower-tier competitions – that operators cannot ignore.
Geographic Data Shows a Fragmented Risk Landscape
Europe accounted for the largest share of alerts at 28%, followed by North America (20%) and Asia (13%).
However, looking at regional percentages alone can be misleading. The more relevant takeaway is that risk is not tied to geography in a simple way – it is tied to specific competitions and event types.
For example:
- In Europe, alerts are concentrated in smaller markets such as Albania, Malta and Cyprus
- In Asia, activity is spread across emerging tennis events and niche sports
- In Africa and South America, volumes are lower but football-related exposure remains consistent
For operators managing global portfolios, this reinforces the need to assess risk at the competition level rather than relying on regional assumptions.
Brazil: Growth and Integrity Pressure Collide
IBIA data shows 68 alerts in Brazil between 2021 and 2025, with the majority linked to football.
This sits alongside a major regulatory shift. Brazil introduced federal licensing in 2025, and the market is expected to transition rapidly toward regulated, onshore activity. By 2030, over 80% of GGR is projected to come from licensed operators, with total market value reaching BRL 28.8bn.
At the same time, Brazil is forecast to account for 39% of Latin America’s betting GGR in 2026 – nearly double Mexico.
This creates a clear overlap: as betting volume increases through regulation and channelisation, existing integrity weaknesses come under greater scrutiny.
For operators entering the market, integrity is no longer just a compliance requirement – it is likely to become a core part of competitive positioning.
What This Data Really Indicates
The Q1 figures do not point to a spike in suspicious activity, but they do reinforce a few consistent realities:
- Integrity risk is concentrated in specific sports and competition tiers, not evenly distributed
- Market growth tends to amplify integrity pressure rather than reduce it
- eSports remains structurally unresolved from a governance standpoint
These trends align closely with IBIA’s broader long-term strategy to strengthen monitoring, collaboration, and prevention across regulated markets, as outlined in IBIA Leads the Fight for Global Betting Transparency.
Implications for Operators, Suppliers and Regulators
Operators should reassess their exposure to non-tour tennis, secondary table tennis circuits and lower-tier eSports, while aligning trading limits with more risk-sensitive models.
Suppliers need to move beyond basic alert systems and focus on more actionable risk segmentation. Data quality – particularly in lower-tier events – will be increasingly important.
Regulators, especially in fast-growing markets like Brazil, will need to ensure that licensing expansion is matched by sufficient enforcement and monitoring capacity.
