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The International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) and Professional Footballers Association Canada (PFA Canada) have announced a preventive training program to safeguard against potential match-fixing and betting breaches.
The Canadian Soccer Players’ Association has announced the successful completion of a second year of training for the professional football league’s anti-fraud education programme.
Canadian Premier League anti-match-fixing training
In a statement from the IBIA, the body said that the player education program aims to inform more than two hundred players and staff across all eight Canadian Premier League (CPL) teams.
The training is said to be centered on sports betting-related match-fixing and the perils it can pose for athletes who may not recognize the signs or have a way to flag an illegal approach.
The IBIA and PFA Canada ran the sessions based on three key pillars: Rules, Responsibility and Reporting under the ‘Protecting the Integrity of the Game’ course.
Marco Carducci, President of PFA Canada and Cavalry FC captain, said, “With the growth of sports betting across Canada, this training has progressed PFA Canada’s goal of supporting athletes and keeping integrity and fairness at the heart of our sport.”
The training, according to some of the league’s prominent figures, was beneficial in underscoring the real dangers that interaction with any form of illegal betting can pose to a player’s career.
Captain of Vancouver FC, Callum Irving, said, “The training was super informative for our players, providing essential information on the rules of sports betting, the consequences of being involved, and ways to report any illegal activity. Resources like the IBIA are beyond integral to safeguarding our sport and locker rooms from sports betting-related match-fixing.”
bet365, Betway and FanDuel fund education program
Some of the biggest hitters in global gambling are sponsoring the program, including Bet365, Betway and FanDuel.
Their CA$300,000 ($214,500) backing of the IBIA is part of a three-year deal. It aims to offer “Canadian athletes and sports organisations can access free, in-person integrity education, helping safeguard Canadian sport against match manipulation and corruption.”
Sports betting in North America and the darker side of gambling, like match-fixing, prop bet tampering and sensitive information being released for the benefit of betting, has been a prominent storyline across the latter half of 2025.
As we reported, the NBA betting scandal has rocked the sports world and led to a domino effect, with other sports put under an intense media spotlight.
Dana White has also been vocal across sports media and has threatened athletes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) with internal investigations linked to the FBI in an attempt to dissuade any fighters linked to illegal betting.
The Commissioner of Major League Baseball (MLB), Rob Manfred, also publicly promoted the sport’s transparency amid the United States Senate’s broader gambling inquiry.
The litany of sports figures now under investigation shows a growing, costly trend for sports teams, making education like the IBIA’s and the CPL’s approach all the more important for Canadian athletes looking to avoid the same fate.
Featured image: PFA Canada/IBIA
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Paddy Power has announced that it will continue to sponsor the PDC World Darts Championship through until 2031.
The bookmaker began sponsoring the biggest event in professional darts ahead of the 2023 edition, following on from names such as Cazoo, William Hill and Ladbrokes throughout the years.

@paddypower will remain title sponsor of the World Darts Championship until 2031!
Their game-changing charity campaigns have already raised over £2m for @ProstateUK so far.
Next stop: Ally Pally, Dec 11 Jan 3. pic.twitter.com/xGtawDPw4R
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) December 1, 2025

“Paddy Power has had a hugely positive impact on the World Darts Championship over the past two years,” said PDC Chief Executive Matt Porter once the news was announced.
“Their creativity, investment and passion for the sport have taken the event to new heights, enhancing the experience for fans in the arena and millions watching worldwide.
“We are delighted to extend this partnership to 2031 and look forward to building on this success while continuing to support Prostate Cancer UK’s essential work.”
Paddy Power World Darts Championship ramps up support with multi-million charity initiatives
Paddy Power have gone above and beyond during their brief spell as sponsor of the event, which is held at the Alexandra Palace in London every Christmas.
Indeed, the sportsbook has donated over £2m to Prostate Cancer UK across both the 2024 and 2025 editions.
For every 180 scored by someone at the tournament this year, Paddy Power said it will donate £1,000 ($1,320) to Prostate Cancer UK. The Even Bigger 180 follows on from the success of The Big 180 and The Bigger 180 over the previous two years.
Furthermore, should any player hit a nine-darter in the competition, a staggering £180,000 will be split between the player, a random fan and a donation to support Prostate Cancer UK.
This year, there will be a “Darts of Destiny” challenge, featuring one lucky contestant. They will have the chance to win £180,000 ($238,000) by trying to score 180 or more points with just nine darts.
“The Paddy Power World Darts Championship is the greatest party in sport and we’re proud to extend our sponsorship for another five years,” added Paddy Power.
“We’ll continue bringing excitement, entertainment and unmistakable Paddy Power mischief to the event, wherever it’s held.
“But above all, we’re proud to support the vital, life-changing work of Prostate Cancer UK. Our Big 180 charity campaigns have become huge, award-winning initiatives and we’re committed to helping create a world where no man dies of prostate cancer.”
Featured image: PDC
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An increase in UK gambling taxes could directly and indirectly affect Gibraltar’s public revenues, a government minister from the British Overseas Territory has warned.
In a ministerial statement, by the Minister for Justice, Trade and Industry, Hon. Nigel Feetham KC described the issue as being “of vital importance to Gibraltar” as the country is described as being an “international centre of excellence for online betting and gaming for decades.”
It was on November 26 when the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the UK announced the Autumn Budget which included pushing remote gaming duty to 40 per cent from the current 21 per cent, starting in April 2026. There was also the creation of a new 25 per cent general betting duty for online gambling which is to come into action from April 2027.
Now, there is concern rising in Gibraltar, which is located on Spain’s south coast. The country has its own parliament and is self-governing, but an overlap in businesses has been highlighted within the statement as the MP said “Our businesses are dual-regulated in Gibraltar and the UK and they pay taxes in both Gibraltar and the UK. This sector is a Gibraltarian success story of which we should be proud.”
How does the UK budget affect the gambling industry in Gibraltar?
Within the speech, the MP explains how gambling taxes are a top-line tax charged on revenue and stresses that it “should not be confused with bottom line profit.”
“Madam Speaker, it also goes without saying that this development impacts the vital work we have undertaken over the past two years on corporate tax reform, which we have referred to as Gibraltar’s ‘National Tax Strategy’, a strategy I have explained on many occasions inside and outside this House.”
The company’s tax revenue generated within this area helps to fund public services, health care and education, and to strengthen public finances, without increasing the burden on ordinary working people.
It has been described that the level of corporate tax and PAYE revenue at risk in Gibraltar will depend on the extent to which local operators can mitigate the increased gambling tax costs. Raising tax in the UK imposes higher costs on Gibraltar gaming businesses and reduces the amount ultimately paid in corporate tax in Gibraltar. If part of that mitigation involves reducing jobs, this would, in turn, have a direct impact on PAYE receipts.
The change in gambling tax came after the minister said they had spent months lobbying in the United Kingdom and had clearly set out the potential consequences of such a decision.
Featured Image: AI-generated via Ideogram
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The gambling authority in the Netherlands, known as Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), has fined Optdeck Service Limited (which offers games of chance under the Unibet brand name) a major €4,000,000 ($4.6 million) fine.
This mega fine is due to the company not complying with duty of care in the period of July 14, 2022, to July 1, 2024, according to the KSA. In the Netherlands, gambling companies must protect players from excessive participation and gambling addiction, but the regulator says Optdesk has not complied sufficiently with that duty of care. This comes only months after the KSA hit Optdeck with a €450,000 ($524,160) fine in September.
In an announcement through the authority board, they explain how they requested several player files from the gambling operator and “found that all files referred to non-compliance with the duty of care.”
“For example, in the event of signals of immoderate playing behavior, players who deposited thousands of euros a day were not intervened in a timely manner and income information was only asked after a few weeks, while by that time they had already suffered very large losses,” the KSA said in a translated post.
Chosen interventions were too light, KSA says about Unibet
They continued to suggest that the chosen interventions were ‘far too light,’ with an example being an easy-to-click pop-up. Further checks were included too, like financial data, and the regulator says income that it doesn’t allow to be used, such as a business account, was also included.
Michel Groothuizen, chairman of the Ksa, said in a translated quote: “When there are signs of immoderate gambling behavior and someone bets a huge amount of money in a short time, a provider must investigate the origin of the money in time.
“This can be done by requesting income data. It is essential that providers carry out this analysis adequately, because not all financial resources may simply be included. The Ksa takes violations of the duty of care very seriously and will continue to act hard against them.”
Featured Image: AI-generated via Ideogram
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