Pristine Results for Ten Figure Word Cup Betting Have FIFA and Bookmakers Beaming
Published August 13, 2018 by Lee R
Healthy betting has left all stakeholders feeling equitable after a series of dynamic turns and the effective conclusion of an innovative integrity monitoring system.
FIFA has to be feeling good after reporting a massive €136 B take with no suspicious betting behaviour.
Integrity Study
In conjunction with an array of integrity partners, FIFA conducted a study analysis of the betting behaviour and patterns across a wide sampling of international and domestic football competitions, with the prime baseline comparison data coming from, of course the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Big Bets, No Shadow
The data was compiled by service provider SportRadar at the conclusion of the 21st World Cup, with the primary conclusion of findings indicating betting totals of €136 billion with no match manipulation behaviour detected.
Per Game Figures
As for average match activity, the study placed the estimated global betting turnover at €2.1 billion per game, topping out at €7.2 billion in betting turnover worldwide on the final game alone.
Croatia’s Surprise
Runner-up nation Croatia did garner the most punting per match, positioning Croatian bookmakers as the landslide winners of the punting race, due to the unique course of results for the Croatian side that favoured Croatian punters, including:
Opening odds of around 34.0; scoring underdog victories against Argentina and England; and seeing Round of 16, Quarter and Semi Final elimination victories going to overtime or penalty kicks to decide all decided in during extra time or by penalty shootout when bookmakers settle all match winner bets on the match score after 90 minutes.
Integrity Monitoring System
As for the integrity quotient, the competition was closely monitored for suspicious betting patterns around matches, according to SportRadar’s Fraud Detection System. While vigilantly monitoring over 550 betting operators worldwide during the competition, the system did generate some alerts which were ultimately attributed to adjustments to opening odds after initial matches were completed, SOP.
A closer, in-depth qualitative analysis of odds volume and movement, FIFA found no matches at the 2018 World Cup suspicious of neither match manipulation nor betting fraud.
Analysis of Findings
While FIFA may not be considered objective, the transparent and rigorous public Sport Radar report result has to have FIFA brimming with pride nonetheless. And effectively overseeing the movement of $136 billion in punts across less than two fortnights certainly bears commendation, and can well serve as the benchmark for all future tournaments anywhere in the world.
