Asia sees highest rise in sports match-fixing cases in 2023

A recent report from Sportradar has highlighted a troubling surge in match-fixing across different regions, particularly noting a significant increase in Asia compared to 2022. Sportradar Integrity Services, a division of Sportradar, released its annual report titled ‘Betting Corruption and Match-fixing in 2023’, outlining findings on suspicious betting activities in global sports.

The report, which monitored approximately 850,000 events and matches across 70 sports, revealed a total of 1,329 suspicious matches in 2023, spanning 11 sports in 105 countries. While match-fixing remains a global concern, specific regions such as Asia and Europe have witnessed substantial spikes in suspicious activities.

In 2023, there were a total of 880 suspicious matches globally, marking a significant increase of 103 matches compared to the previous year. Soccer continued to be the most affected sport, with 667 incidents reported in Europe, followed by 302 in Asia and 217 in South America.

Moreover, the report highlighted that 40 percent of suspicious matches occurred in the top 10 countries most impacted by match-fixing in 2023. Soccer has consistently topped the list of affected sports over the past two decades.

Although basketball ranked as the second most affected sport in terms of match-fixing occurrences in 2023, with 205 incidents reported, there was a slight decrease compared to 2022. However, the issue remains prevalent, especially in Asia.

Interestingly, the geographical distribution of suspicious matches saw a shift, with Asia surpassing Europe as the continent with the highest number of match-fixing incidents in 2023. Asia reported 109 suspicious matches, compared to Europe’s 81, a significant change from 2022.

Point shaving, often associated with basketball, accounted for 18 percent of all suspicious matches in 2023, indicating a rise from 10 percent in 2022. This underscores the prevalence of match manipulation in Asian basketball leagues.

While tennis experienced a decrease in suspicious matches compared to the previous year, with 61 incidents reported in 2023, the sport remains vulnerable to match-fixing across various regions.

The report also noted that individuals involved in suspected manipulations are not necessarily tied to the countries where the matches occurred. Data and reporting from Sportradar Integrity Services contributed to a total of 147 sporting and criminal sanctions last year, covering 10 sports in 23 countries across 39 cases.

Original Story by: AGB