Swedish horserace and sports betting operator AB Trav och Galopp (ATG) has become the latest member of the recently rebranded International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA).

ATG was one of few operators that were authorized to provide their services in Sweden prior the re-regulation of the country’s gambling market on January 1, 2019. The state-run business added sports betting to its horserace product shortly after the opening of the local market.

ATG is the first gambling operator to join IBIA after it announced its rebrand last week. The association previously operated as ESSA. It said that its new name better represented its strategy to protect the integrity of international sports and to secure a safe betting environment for bettors.

With the addition of ATG to its stable of partners, IBIA now has nearly 50 members from the global online and retail betting sectors.

Commenting on their new member, IBIA Secretary General Khalid Ali said that they are delighted to welcome one of Sweden’s leading betting brands. Mr. Ali went on to say that ATG is joining “other responsible and committed sports betting operators intent on working collectively to protect their businesses from corruption.”

While Sweden now has more than 60 licensed gambling operators, the country’s former monopolies – ATG and Svenska Spel – dominated the local online gambling market during the first quarter of the year. According to information released by the nation’s gaming and betting regulator, Spelinspektionen, Sweden’s licensed operators generated online gambling revenue of SEK3.3 billion (approx. $349.3 million/€308.2 million), and ATG and Svenska Spel claimed half of that market with revenue of SEK1.645 billion (approx. $174.1 million/€153.6 million). Of the two, ATG led the way with SEK1.07 billion (approx. $113.2 million/€99.9 million).

Protecting Their Betting Product

Of his company joining IBIA, ATG Chief Security & Quality Officer Magnus Lunner said that “protecting our product, consumers and sporting events from betting-related corruption is a foremost business consideration for ATG.” The official added that becoming an IBIA member was a “natural extension” to the company’s core aim.

Through its Monitoring & Alert Platform, IBIA detects and reports suspicious gambling activity on international betting markets. The association has also secured over the years information sharing partnerships with a number of leading sports betting and gambling regulators to utilize its access to data and prosecute corruption. IBIA produces quarterly reports that cover integrity alerts processed through its Monitoring & Alert Platform.

IBIA, formerly ESSA, was established in 2005. The company has been working with some of the industry’s largest gambling operators which are operational across six continents. Its members include Ladbrokes, William Hill, bet365, 888sport, BetVictor, and Betsson, among others.

Last year, the association welcomed its first affiliate member – Perform Group, a Feltham, UK-based global sports media company that operates across a number of digital platforms.