Activision Blizzard and Sportradar will be in a multi-year collaboration for integrity services, involving the Overwatch League and Call of Duty League to protect both leagues from betting-related corruption. Sportradar is a worldwide market leader in integrity services across both traditional sports and esports.
The deal states that Sportradar will monitor global betting activity related to domestic and international Overwatch League and Call of Duty League competitions organized by Activision Blizzard Esports and will report any potential integrity issues to the company to help safeguard the integrity of the competitions.
Access will also be provided to both leagues to Sportradar’s specialized Intelligence and Investigation Services unit as needed, besides educating players on betting integrity risks and rules, and an app to enable players to anonymously report suspected integrity issues. The company’s Integrity Services support more than 80 of the most prominent US and international sports and esports bodies, including the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, FIFA and Tennis Australia.
“Call of Duty League and Overwatch League have long taken steps to safeguard the integrity of matches, and working with Sportradar is a step to further reinforce the importance of fair play.”
“As our esports activities continue to grow and as fans increasingly engage with wagering on matches, we need to ensure we are doing as much as we can to proactively protect our ecosystem. Working with Sportradar, an industry leader, is important in protecting our players, teams and matches and giving fans the best experience they deserve. We look forward to establishing this relationship with Sportradar and continued expansion of our work together.”
Jason Hahn, Head of Strategic Initiatives at Activision Blizzard Esports
Betting data will be monitored to identify issues from match fixing, inside information misuse and others to safeguard the integrity of the Overwatch and Call of Duty competitions. The company’s industry-leading Fraud Detection System (FDS) monitors odds from over 600 betting operators worldwide, utilizes proprietary algorithms to identify anomalous activity and is operated by a team of dedicated integrity analysts that review any unusual betting patterns. If abnormalities and potential integrity issues are flagged, Sportradar’s team alerts the relevant league in real-time of any integrity issues and aids in any resulting investigations.
“Integrity is a crucial component to the overall success of esports, especially in a time with more betting opportunities available and more tournaments taking place.”
“We look forward to working with The Overwatch League and Call of Duty League to fortify their already powerful integrity measures.”
Andy Cunningham, Head of Integrity Services and League Relations, North America at Sportradar
With the global status of the leagues, it’s only natural for Activision Blizzard and Sportradar to enter into such an agreement.
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