Canadian Premier League (CPL) soccer teams have successfully completed an educational program for players on integrity in sports betting. Designed by the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA), its 3R’s training model was used.
In other words, the program used a combination of dedicated in-person training and online resources, with sessions delivered by the Professional Footballers’ Association Canada (PFA Canada) through its workshops.
Partnership between IBIA and PFA Canada
The partnership between IBIA and PFA Canada has trained approximately 200 players from all eight CPL teams. It all started in Ontario and ended in Alberta, also covering teams from Nova Scotia, Manitoba and British Colombia.
So this concludes the first part of a two-year player development agreement between the IBIA and PFA Canada.
Marco Carducci, Cavalry FC and President of PFA Canada, said: “IBIA’s sports betting integrity training, in partnership with PFA Canada, was an incredibly beneficial experience for our players. It was effective and easy to understand.”
“Furthermore, it made clear what professional athletes need to know about the integrity of sports betting and how to report attempted corruption. We are grateful for IBIA’s support to help safeguard the integrity of the game and to protect and educate our players,” he continued.
In addition to highlighting the possible threats of match-fixing related to sports betting, the program instructed players on:
- Rules
- Penalties
- Accuracy of monitoring through technology
- How to report criminals and corruptors using the Red Button app
Next steps for the education program
Khalid Ali, CEO of IBIA, said: “We take seriously our responsibility to protect regulated sports betting markets, sports and athletes. Decades of experience have shown that a combination of effective regulation, education and collaboration is essential to protecting the sports integrity ecosystem.”
“We are very pleased with the success of PFA Canada’s educational program and look forward to the second year of the project,” Ali added.
Dan Kruk, Executive Director of PFA Canada, said: “Through our work with IBIA, nearly 200 Canadian Premier League players participated in PFA Canada’s workshop on how to protect the integrity of the game this season.”
“So, as a result, stakeholders can be assured that our members know their obligations in relation to gambling and match-fixing in their sport. In other words, they know how to recognize an approach to manipulating a match and, above all, their duty to report anyone who is trying to manipulate a match.”
The program is the first to be delivered from a three-year fund worth CA$300,000 – invested by IBIA and its members bet365, Betway and FanDuel.
This way, Canadian athletes can receive free education on sports integrity, a measure created to protect Canadian sports from game manipulation and match corruption.