IBIA partners with All-in Diversity Project
The International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) has signed a strategic partnership with the All-in Diversity Project, the industry-driven initiative that aims to benchmark diversity, equality and inclusion in the global betting and gaming sectors.
The IBIA said it has teamed up with the body as part of its plan to expand its network to meet the challenges of a changing world of customers and products and the increasing spotlight on equality issues within the world of sport.
It added that the partnership will bring together the worlds of sports integrity and diversity to help foster a more sustainable approach to the industry.
Khalid Ali, chief executive of IBIA, said: “The demographics of sports betting is changing and, as an industry, we need to be aware of the opportunities and challenges this presents.
“The collaboration with the All-in Diversity Project has two main objectives; the first is to promote diversity within the betting industry; the second is to understand how the wealth inequality in women’s sports could lead to integrity concerns.
“By working together, we hope to tackle these issues through a series of events and studies that we have planned for the next few years.”
Launched in 2017, the All-In Diversity Project’s founding members include operators such as Paddy Power, Caesars Entertainment and Kindred Group, as well as suppliers Microgaming and GiG. Since then, it has also agreed strategic partnerships with organisations such as Clarion Gaming and Oxford Brookes University.
Kelly Kehn, co-founder of the All-In Diversity Project, said: “Having the IBIA support the All-in Diversity Project is a huge leap forward for us.
“Collaborating with standard-setting global organisations such as IBIA means we can accelerate progress and engage with a wider audience to address some of the challenges faced by sports and sports betting - from the hidden impact of inequality on integrity, to the more obvious issues related to gender and race within the entire sports and betting ecosystem by sharing data, resources and experience and developing tools that work.”
The announcement comes just days after IBIA revealed it reported 270 suspicious betting events to the relevant authorities in 2020, up 47.5% year-on-year, as reports for esports and table tennis skyrocketed with other sports suspended.