BetGames & Sportradar: innovation is great, a secure product is even better

Following the announcement that Twain Sport had partnered with Sportradar to integrate its Universal Fraud Detection System (UFDS) into its hybrid sports tournaments, the two discussed the alliance and how it came about. 

Andreas Koeberl, CEO at BetGames, speaks alongside Andreas Krannich, Managing Director Integrity Services at Sportradar, about how their partnership strengthens Twain Sport’s next generation sports betting vertical.

SBC: Can you tell us more about how this partnership came about? And what can we expect from this collaboration?

Andreas Koeberl (right): For us, it was clear that this product vertical can only succeed with the highest level of integrity at its core. Innovative content is one thing but convincing players that this is a serious and safe sport and betting product is a massive task. So, it was clear to us that we had to have an established, respected, independent partner who supported that ambition and that was when we approached Sportradar. 

Andreas Krannich: Our Universal Fraud Detection System is the most effective tool for monitoring and detecting suspicious betting behaviours and, having been approached by Twain Sport, we offered to safeguard the integrity of its competitions. By making this significant investment in integrity via the UFDS initiative, we are demonstrating our commitment to support the sustainability of sport around the globe.

SBC: Can you talk us through how Sportradar’s integrity tech is applied to Twain Sport and how it adds to the protection already in place that combats suspicious betting activity?

Andreas Koeberl: From a BetGames perspective, our integrity concept consists of seven layers, with Sportradar’s UFDS being one of them. So, on top of that, we have a dedicated surveillance, data analytics and risk management teams who independently monitor all activity. So, we already enjoy a strong foundation for ensuring integrity, but this partnership with Sportradar elevates that to the next level. 

Andreas Krannich: Since its launch, Twain Sport’s T-basket matches have been monitored using our UFDS, which delivers an advanced and proven bet monitoring system, independently assessed and verified by experts in the field of sports betting and integrity. Each match is analysed for abnormalities by a global team of qualified integrity experts and any potentially suspicious matches can be subsequently flagged for investigation. To-date, no such incidents have been identified, but UFDS monitoring allows for crucial visibility of the betting markets in case of any irregularities, which is a vital integrity protection measure for any sport, traditional or new.

Sportradar Integrity Services are also providing additional support to help protect the integrity of the event, with all participants receiving education on sports betting and match-fixing, so they’re able to recognise and report approaches from fixers. 

Furthermore, we have agreed to carry out an integrity audit for T-basket, assisting in the formation and growth of partner company BetGames’ own robust integrity program. The combination of these three proactive integrity measures will go a long way to helping to ensure Twain Sport’s competitions are free from any suspicious actions.  

SBC: BetGames, why was Sportradar the obvious choice when you were looking for an integrity partner?

Andreas Koeberl: Sportradar is undoubtedly the partner of choice for us, and we are delighted that we reached a partnership agreement. Its UFDS is market leading and its integrity team is world-class, so it was an easy decision to make. 

We are able to benefit from the same services that over 160 sporting federations and leagues worldwide use, so the ability to utilise the integrity measures offered is a massive step for us on our journey to push Twain Sport into regulated and mature markets.

SBC: Sportradar, what would you say are the key challenges for integrity when it comes to Twain Sport? Does its quick nature pose any difficulties at all?

Andreas Krannich (left): The sheer volume of matches does present a challenge. There are 14 tournaments per day consisting of 15 matches in each and there are only three minutes between each match. However, the machine learning and AI which helps to drive the UFDS assists with the bet monitoring of matches in this regard. 

It already helps our team to monitor over 800,000 matches annually across all global sport, as it allows our expert betting analysts to quickly focus on the matches that require the most attention, ensuring that resources are being utilised for integrity in the most efficient manner possible.

Another challenge was that when the inaugural T-basket season event began, there was naturally no existing playing form for each player to assess from an analytical standpoint, but this is now less of an issue as we have a growing sample size on each player’s ability. The official website is a valuable resource for all followers and fans, and this assists with the monitoring efforts also, as it details recent form and shooting percentages for all of the players, so any betting market movements can be placed in the right context from an analysis standpoint.

SBC: BetGames, Given the quick nature of the sport, how are you ensuring that responsible gambling remains a top priority?

Andreas Koeberl: The quick nature isn’t a bad thing. Keep in mind that with the first game T-Basket, the league offers 210 matches a day. That gives you ~6500 matches a month per sport. That is a lot of data that allows you to spot deviations way faster. On top of our 7 integrity layers, you have to keep in mind that the operators are applying their RG tools and processes as well.