SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
World Rugby the governing body of international rugby union has confirmed that sports data and insights software provider Sportradar will monitor all 2015 Rugby World Cup (RWC 2015) matches.
Sportradar has been selected by World Rugby governance to monitor and consult on any suspicious betting patterns during RWC 2015 matches, as the governing body expects betting on the tournament to reach record levels.
In order to further secure game integrity World Rugby stated that all participating RWC players had signed up to an anti-corruption policy, which bans players from betting on any RWC matches.
Brett Gosper, chief executive of World Rugby, said: “Corruption is a big issue in sport and we have seen how some sports’ reputations have been damaged by incidents of match-fixing and other breaches of anti-corruption rules.
“While there is no evidence that a problem exists in rugby, we would be naïve to think it could not happen and it would be irresponsible not to implement appropriate measures to guard against it.
“Rugby is now part of the Olympic family (Sevens is on the programme at the Rio de Janeiro Games next year) and anti-corruption considerations are an integral part of the Olympic Charter. So we have a wider responsibility to the global sports family to uphold the principles of fair play and integrity in every aspect of the tournament. Anti-corruption is a crucial part of that.”
