SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
The International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) has launched an educational programme in collaboration with the Professional Footballers’ Association Canada (PFA Canada).
Together with its members bet365, Betway and FanDuel, IBIA will provide around 300 PFA Canada players and staff with in-depth training on the importance of integrity in the Canadian Premier League (CPL), the dangers of match-fixing and the impact this could have on their careers.
Khalid Ali, CEO of IBIA, said: “IBIA’s members take their role – as responsible regulated betting operators – in protecting the integrity of sporting competition and of betting markets seriously. Alongside balanced, efficient and evidenced-based regulation, protecting soccer players, staff and officials from being targeted by criminals is an essential first step to stamping-out sports betting related match-fixing and fraud.”
The two-year programme began at the start of this May, and will continue to 2026 – with next year serving as a repeat training for new players and staff joining the league on how they can report suspicious activity and stop criminals.
Jean-Francois Reymond, IBIA’s Education Ambassador, commented: “We look forward to working with PFA Canada to further protect the Canadian Premier League from the threat of sports-betting related match-fixing. Protecting the integrity of sport means protecting the integrity of athletes.
“Most often through a lack of awareness, it is the athletes who are risking their careers and livelihoods. IBIA’s objective is to help build a best-in-class program for all athletes that serves to protect the integrity of Canadian sport and the careers of Canada’s athletes.”
Educational material includes a combination of in-person lessons and online resources that people across the CPL’s eight league teams can access, all covering rules and sanctions, as well as insights into the technology being used to monitor for sports integrity breaches.
Dan Kruk, Executive Director of PFA Canada, added: “IBIA has delivered sports integrity education to over 35 thousand athletes in Europe since 2010, and we’re grateful that they can leverage that know-how to design bespoke training for CPL players.
“At PFA Canada we understand that, despite being more resource-intensive, in-person sports-integrity education is essential to gain the trust and understanding of busy athletes, and to enable full, frank and open conversations.”
The campaign was made possible through a CA$300,000 (£175k) fund established by IBIA’s member operators bet365, Betway and FanDuel, as a special three-year commitment to the Canadian market.
Dale Hooper, General Manager of FanDuel Canada, commented: “At FanDuel Canada, we recognize the critical role athlete education plays in maintaining sports integrity. We are thrilled to expand our engagement with IBIA through this new partnership helping to build a curriculum that will help athletes understand their role in protecting sport.”
Joachim Bjerg, Head of International Markets at Betway’s Win Technologies division, also noted: “We’re very proud to partner and support IBIA and the Professional Footballers’ Association Canada that will design, create and implement a bespoke course that will further enhance Betway’s global commitment to educating players and staff involved in sport.
“As a responsible regulated betting operator, we see our role in this sector imperative to safeguarding the integrity of sports and we very much look forward to working with IBIA on this exciting and important initiative.”
