Sportradar’s 2022 betting corruption and match fixing report has revealed an increase in the number of suspicious matches detected in global sports.

According to the report, Sportradar Integrity Services detected 1,212 suspicious matches in 12 different sports, spanning 92 countries in 2022.

This marks a 34% increase from 2021 and represents the highest number of suspicious matches ever recorded in Sportradar’s UFDS.

The report indicates that nearly half of all suspicious matches were played in 10 countries, with football accounting for 71.5% of the suspicious matches in these countries.

Basketball represented 17.5%, while Table Tennis, Handball, Ice Hockey, Tennis, and Volleyball together made up the remaining 5%.

Furthermore, 2022 saw a sharp rise in suspicious match numbers in Africa (+82%) followed by South America (+72%).

Commenting on the performance of the service, Sportradar Integrity Services managing director, Andreas Krannich, said: “The launch of the Sportradar Integrity Exchange in April 2022 is another key part of our antimatch-fixing efforts.

“It is a global network of betting operators who proactively share suspicious betting information, which can help to identify more suspicious matches, and ultimately help to initiate the investigative process.

“So far, 37 betting operators have joined, and the network has already flagged more than 300 matches across 11 sports to Sportradar, and we anticipate it will become the world’s largest integrity network of betting operators in the years ahead.”

“Our multi-layered approach to sports integrity is paying off, as 2022 saw a record number of 169 sporting and criminal sanctions delivered which were supported by Sportradar Integrity Services data and reports.

“It is envisaged that many more successes in the anti-match-fixing fight will be possible as the AI-driven UFDS continues to Andreas Krannich Managing Director Sportradar Integrity Servicess evolve, and the Sportradar Integrity Exchange grows,” he said.

Football remained the most affected sport with approximately 64% of total suspicious matches occurring in the sport globally.

However, basketball and table tennis showed a significant increase in suspicious matche, with basketball recording a year-on-year increase of 157 suspicious matches, while table tennis saw a rise of 51 suspicious matches.

Despite low numbers of suspicious matches outside of football, 13 suspicious cricket matches were recorded, the highest annual figure ever recorded by Sportradar Integrity Services.

Additionally, handball and futsal also recorded their highest-ever number of suspicious matches.