Athletes Unlimited chose Sportradar Integrity Services after “a competitive selection process”, allowing the data provider to use its Universal Fraud Detection System (UFDS) to monitor betting patterns and detect suspicious patterns.
In addition, Sportradar will provide education services, including webinars, about match-fixing to athletes within the leagues. It will also conduct an “integrity audit” of Athletes Unlimited’s leagues, which launched in March 2020, and will assist any investigations by Athletes Unlimited into integrity threats to its events.
“We are thrilled to partner with global industry leader Sportradar as we continue to expand our betting platform for our fans,” Nicole Pawlak, senior director of special projects for Athletes Unlimited, said. “We are committed to building a legitimate and safe experience that will help us generate increased interest in our sports leagues while preserving the integrity of our play.”
Jill Exley, integrity partnerships director for Sportradar North America, said the agreement would help protect the integrity of Athletes Unlimited events as the league grows.
“By choosing Sportradar as its integrity partner, Athletes Unlimited is taking a critical and proactive step in safeguarding its brand and business, as its competitions continue to grow and attract more interest from fans,” she said. “We look forward to supporting them with our industry-leading integrity products and services and being a part of their exciting journey as they revolutionise how women’s professional sports are organised and experienced by fans.”
During 2021, Sportradar Integrity Services detected 900 suspicious matches across global sport, and more than 6,900 suspicious matches have been witnessed across the past 17 years.
Earlier this year, Sportradar Integrity Services entered a multi-year education and bet monitoring service agreement with the Canadian Hockey League. During 2021, Sportradar Integrity Services detected 900 suspicious matches across global sport, with managing director Andreas Krannich noted that suspicious sporting events had been on the rise in October.