The number of cases of suspicious betting on sports reported to the International Betting Integrity Authority fell by 13% in 2021, although alerts relating to football hit a record high.
A total of 236 cases were reported, which the sports integrity body says is consistent with levels seen in prior years.
The alerts were from 13 sports in 49 different countries, with Europe accounting for half of all cases.
“Another challenging year for the sector has passed with the spectre of Covid and its impact on sporting events declining and hopefully a potential endgame in sight,” said IBIA CEO Khalid Ali. “It is therefore welcomed that the alerts for 2021 showed a downward trend and a return to pre-Covid numbers.”
The largest number of alerts was on tennis with 80 in total, a decline of 18 percent from a year earlier. Football alerts rose 8 percent to 66, a record high. Russia had the highest number of alerts per individual country at 27.
