The International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) actively participated in the 3rd Brazilian Sports Integrity Summit. At the meeting, CEO Khalid Ali gave an exclusive interview to GMB, highlighting the importance of discussing the topic before the start of regulated operations in Brazil. "We have a strict criterion for selecting members and will enable them to implement monitoring and reporting standards to identify any suspicious betting activity."
Games Magazine Brasil – Is this your first visit to Brazil to participate in an event focused on sports integrity?
Khalid Ali –
I was in Brazil last year for a major gaming conference, where I had the opportunity to meet a large number of operators, regulators, and other stakeholders. But specifically for an event exclusively focused on integrity, this is my first time coming to São Paulo.
Is Brazil prepared for sports integrity? Are the regulatory bodies aware of this and know what to do?
The heart of this event was to realize that the entire ecosystem is beginning to work together and preparing for when the market is fully open in January 2025. Among the stakeholders present, we found operators, sports entities, and associations discussing common points so that everyone can work in an integrated manner and be ready for next year.
Is it a good time to discuss sports integrity in Brazil?
It is a very important time. The deadline of August 20 showed the sector's interest in operating under rules set by the government, when more than a hundred companies presented themselves in search of their licenses to operate in the regulated Brazilian market. Therefore, this is the best time to discuss integrity.
The topic has already been debated for more than eight months and now it's "show time" because by January 1st everyone should be ready. Operators will need to associate with entities like the IBIA to monitor bets and report any attempts at manipulation of results. And we will take the data forward to the most relevant sports entities and regulators. One of my goals here is to ensure that we are establishing very close communication with operators and sports entities.
How can IBIA contribute more effectively to the future regulated Brazilian market?
The first thing is for all operators who applied for licenses to associate with the IBIA, since we have adequate standards to monitor and report attempts at manipulation of results.
The second thing is to work on educational programs with other stakeholders, so that everyone knows what to do in the face of suspicious activities, in a preventive manner. We have various tools to contribute and we know how and where to act to contribute to the sports betting ecosystem.
Have both combat and prevention actions already been taken in Brazil? How many Brazilian members are part of the IBIA?
The first thing is to identify operators to become part of the IBIA. We adopt due diligence processes for a careful selection. Once we are satisfied with them, we move on to the second stage, which is to enable them to implement rigorous standards of monitoring and reporting to identify any suspicious betting activity.
Regarding the number of members, we have more than 30 operators who applied for licenses to start the regulated operation from January 1st. Some have not yet met the due diligence we perform, but from November, when the licenses are issued, I will be able to speak the exact number.
Source: Exclusive GMB
