The International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) and its members bet365, Betway and FanDuel have teamed up with the Professional Footballers Association Canada (PFA Canada) to develop a two-year sports integrity education program tailored for Canadian Premier League (CPL) players and coaching staff..
The program – which will begin in May – will educate approximately 300 players and staff members about the potential threat of sports betting-related match fixing to the integrity of the Canadian Premier League, their careers, as well as its potential to defraud sports betting operators and customers. .
The agreement also stipulates additional training in 2025 to ensure that new players joining the league can also protect themselves from criminals and corruptors and report any suspicious activity.
Statements by the CEO of IBIA and CEO of PFA Canada
Khalid Ali, CEO of the International Betting Integrity Association, said: “IBIA members take seriously their role – as regulated and responsible betting operators – in protecting the integrity of sporting competition and betting markets.
Alongside balanced, efficient and evidence-based regulation, protecting football players, coaching staff and officials from being targeted by criminals is an essential first step towards eliminating match fixing related to sports betting and fraud.”
The program will include a combination of dedicated in-person training and online resources for players and staff members across the eight CPL teams. The in-person sessions will educate players about the environment in which they are operating, including rules and sanctions,” as well as highlight the scale and accuracy of technology-enabled sports integrity monitoring.”
Dan Kruk, CEO of PFA Canada, said: “IBIA has provided sports integrity education to more than 35,000 athletes in Europe since 2010, and we are grateful that they can leverage this knowledge to develop tailored training for CPL players.
At PFA Canada, we understand that, despite being more resource-intensive, in-person sports integrity education is essential to gaining the trust and understanding of busy athletes, and enabling full, frank and open conversations.”
The CPL’s sports integrity education program is made possible by a commitment of CA$300,000 over three years by the International Betting Integrity Association and its members.
Other executives also talk about the education and integrity program
Dale Hooper, General Manager of FanDuel Canada said: “At FanDuel Canada, we recognize the critical role that athlete education plays in maintaining sporting integrity.
“We are excited to expand our involvement with IBIA through this new partnership, helping to build a curriculum that will help athletes understand their role in protecting the sport.”
Betway’s Joachim Bjerg said: “We are very proud to partner with and support the International Betting Integrity Association and the Professional Football Players Association of Canada, who will design, create and implement a bespoke course that will further increase global engagement of Betway in educating players and team members involved in the sport.
“As a regulated and responsible betting operator, we see our role in this sector as imperative to safeguarding the integrity of sports and we look forward to working with IBIA on this exciting and important initiative.”
Jean-Francois Reymond, Education Ambassador for the International Betting Integrity Association, who will work with PFA Canada coaches at the May launch, said:
“We look forward to working with PFA Canada to further protect the Premier League from the threat of match-fixing related to sports betting. Protecting the integrity of sport means protecting the integrity of athletes.”
IBIA Education Program Details
IBIA’s sports integrity education program is a global offering. During 2024, the entity undertook the training of athletes at the EUBC European Boxing Championship, held in Serbia.
Additionally, the IBIA is engaged in active discussions with sports governing bodies in Canada and several other jurisdictions. The aim is to ensure that a substantial number of athletes can fully benefit from the sports integrity education offered.
Additionally, the organization recently released a report on Sports Betting Product Availability, which highlighted Ontario as one of the top regulated gaming jurisdictions, with onshore sports betting pipeline predicted to reach 92% by 2024, with an expected increase to 97% in 2028.
IBIA currently represents more than 60% of licensed private sports betting operators in the province. After all, all licensed online sports betting operators in Ontario are required to be part of a betting integrity monitoring body.
IBIA’s Q1 2024 report detailed 56 alerts globally during the quarter. Therefore, the alerts contributed to the investigations and subsequent successful sanctions of 21 clubs, players and officials in 2023, an increase from the 15 sanctioned in 2022.
About the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA)
The International Betting Integrity Association is the leading global voice on integrity for the licensed betting industry. Our members share the common goal of combating corruption in betting to protect the integrity of sport and its business.
Members go through a rigorous due diligence process and must adhere to our code of conduct, thereby committing to responsible betting practices.
While the International Betting Integrity Association’s Monitoring and Alert Network is a highly effective anti-corruption tool. It detects and reports suspicious activity on its members’ betting markets.
The association maintains long-standing information-sharing partnerships with leading sporting bodies including FIFA, UEFA, ITIA and IOC.
About PFA Canada
The Professional Footballers Association Canada (PFA Canada) was formed in 2020 by Canadian Premier League players seeking accountability, fairness and transparency through collective bargaining.
On December 20, 2021, CPL players voted unanimously in favor of PFA Canada to act as their collective bargaining agent.
Since then, PFA Canada has continued to represent CPL players in matters relating to their employment, while negotiating a first collective bargaining agreement between the Union and the League.
