IBIA Joins Forces with IXUP to Improve Integrity in the US

The International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) has unveiled a partnership with the data security specialist IXUP. As agreed, the two parties will jointly explore products and services that can improve the integrity of the US sports betting market.

Under the deal, the IBIA will promote IXUP’s PlayPause encryption matching network to member operators in America. This move will cement PlayPause as the athlete identification and involuntary exclusion program for sports leagues.

In the meantime, IXUP will leverage its relationships with major US sports betting operators, regulators, leagues and teams to promote the IBIA’s gold-standard integrity monitoring solution.

Furthermore, the partnership will allow the IBIA and IXUP to explore the provision of complementary services to other entities in the sports betting sector, including sports clubs and governing bodies.

The partnership will also highlight the IBIA’s commitment to enforcing integrity in the United States.

IBIA and IXUP Will Not Misuse the Data

IBIA’s chief executive officer, Khalid Ali, commented on the tie-up with IXUP, saying that both parties involved recognize the “critical importance” of maintaining integrity within the United States’ sports betting market. To that end, the IBIA will work with its new ally to investigate new technologies that help operators prevent fraud.

This partnership allows each party to potentially incorporate the other’s relationships, technology and best practices, be it across the identification of suspicious betting activity, or the encrypted matching and identification of excluded individuals betting in breach of sporting rules.

Khalid Ali, CEO, IBIA

During a recent IBIA gathering, PlayPause’s Kevin Vonasek also commented on the partnership, saying that the two parties have a common goal to help stakeholders make datasets more useful across industry collaboration, and enhance the integrity of the sports betting ecosystem.

Vonasek assured other participants that the IBIA and IXUP don’t want to use data to smear operators’ names and will not use the data in any malicious way.

We are simply a B2B encrypted fuzzy matching service helping operators, regulators and leagues better detect, investigate, and ultimately prevent wagering activity that is in direct conflict with our industry’s rules and codes of conduct.

Kevin Vonasek

For reference, IXUP is the operator of BetStopTM, Australia’s national self-exclusion register. The IBIA, on the other hand, is the leading global voice on integrity for the licensed betting industry. Keen to expand its global footprint, the organization signed a MOU with Lotería de la Ciudad a month ago.

Prior to that, the IBIA welcomed several new members, including KTO and Galera.bet.