Integrity Monitoring and Match-Fixing Detection

The history of sports betting integrity monitoring represents a shift from **reactive investigations** to **proactive algorithmic surveillance**. **Key Historical Phases:** * **Manual Detection (Pre-2005):** Reliance on whistleblowers and bookmakers manually spotting large liabilities. The **2009 Bochum Scandal** exposed the inadequacy of this approach against global syndicates. * **Algorithmic Systems (2009–2015):** The rise of **Sportradar** and **Genius Sports** introduced the **Universal Fraud Detection System (UFDS)**, utilizing mathematical models to flag odds movements that lack sporting justification. This era also saw a shift from match-fixing to **spot-fixing** (manipulating micro-events). * **Legal & Collaborative Frameworks (2015–Present):** The **2014 Macolin Convention** established international legal standards for data sharing. Organizations like the **IBIA** enabled cross-operator data triangulation to reduce false positives. **Technical Core:** Detection relies on monitoring **odds anomalies** (irrational market movement), **liquidity spikes** (abnormal volume in low-tier events), and **account heuristics** (coordinated betting patterns). The industry has evolved into a commercial nexus where "Official Data" rights are sold to aggregators who, in turn, provide integrity monitoring back to the sports federations.