Credit: sergey kolesnikov / Shutterstock
In a development showing just how interconnected international betting is, Flutter Entertainment‘s US-based sportsbook FanDuel has been issued a penalty in Canada for bets placed on Czech table tennis matches.
The fine of CA$350,000 (€216,000) is significant for two reasons. Firstly, it is one of the biggest, if not the biggest, issued by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) since the regulated betting market was launched back in April 2022.
Secondly, it is the first AGCO enforcement action to centre around match-fixing prevention and sports integrity. An AGCO investigation into FanDuel found that the operator accepted 144 bets on the Czech Table Tennis Star Series from three Ontario player accounts.
The AGCO states that it ‘identified numerous red flags that should have prompted action’. This included changes in betting behaviour, betting lines on two matches involving two specific athletes, an implausible and near-perfect win-rate and a concentration of bets on athletes losing matches.
“iGaming operators act as a critical first line of defence in protecting the integrity of Ontario’s sports betting market and in supporting the fight against betting-related match fixing,” the AGCO’s statement read.
“In a global sports betting market, the failure of operators in one jurisdiction to report unusual or suspicious activity undermines the ability of regulators, police services, and sports authorities around the world to identify and disrupt organised efforts to fix games or bets.”
Table tennis is a sport which is particularly susceptible to match-fixing threats, routinely ranking third in International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) quarterly reports on suspicious betting activity after football and tennis. Incidentally, the IBIA has praised the sports integrity monitoring and protection system in Ontario in the past.
FanDuel defends integrity efforts
The AGCO concluded that FanDuel had ‘failed to meet its obligations to identify the unusual and suspicious activity’ when it accepted the 144 bets on the Czech table tennis tournament between 23 October and 30 November 2024.
Dr Karin Schnarr, CEO and Registrar of AGCO, said: “In an era of heightened scrutiny on sports integrity, igaming operators must be vigilant and proactive in detecting suspicious betting activity and taking appropriate steps to protect their patrons.
“We will continue to hold all regulated operators accountable to these standards. Protecting fair play is essential to maintaining public trust.”
AGCO regulations state that operators are required to report any suspicious betting activity to Independent Integrity Monitors (IIMs), which subsequently share this information with all other operators across Ontario’s wider iGaming sector.
In response to the AGCO’s ruling, FanDuel told SBC’s Canadian Gaming Business (CGB) that its betting monitoring system had detected the wagers correctly and that it had followed the required steps regarding detection and reporting.
“Our integrity monitoring program enabled us to be the only operator to proactively identify, investigate and report this suspicious activity to integrity monitors. FanDuel then proactively reported this activity to the AGCO,” a FanDuel spokesperson told CGB.
“As an operator that prides itself on the trust we have built with our stakeholders, we do not feel that this action accurately reflects the commitment and investment we have consistently demonstrated regarding protecting the industry, our customers, and the integrity of sport.
“We are also concerned it could discourage the industry from engaging in best efforts to identify, investigate, and report on irregular activity.”
FanDuel has 15 days to appeal the AGCO’s ‘Order of Monetary Penalty’ to the province’s Licence Appeal Tribunal (LAT).
Ted Orme-Claye
Read More