AGCO’s Doug Hood: Sports Has To Lead on Integrity

Ensuring the integrity of competition in the sports and sports betting industries is a complex issue that has recently taken centre stage. The lifetime ban of Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter from the NBA for betting policy violations exemplifies the challenges of managing wagering within sports. This is more than just a trending topic; it's a crucial concern requiring collaborative efforts.

Doug Hood, project director of gaming modernization at the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), discussed this with Insider Sport, emphasising that maintaining sports integrity is a shared responsibility among regulators, operators, and sports administrators. Hood highlighted that while the AGCO is dedicated to protecting sports betting integrity, it cannot shoulder the burden alone.

"Sports betting integrity involves a complex ecosystem, and our role within it is nuanced," Hood told Insider Sport. "We oversee the betting markets but do not regulate sports themselves. While we directly regulate gaming operators and service providers in Ontario's sports betting market, betting integrity requires global collaboration as sports are bet on worldwide, and we only handle one piece of the puzzle."

A Question of Data and Resources

Monitoring and enforcing sports and betting integrity is a resource-intensive task. Organisations like the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) and IC360 continuously conduct data-driven reviews in partnership with sports betting operators. However, the challenge is immense.

Hood noted that in the previous year, the IBIA issued only 180 alerts out of approximately 650,000 sporting events. This low number doesn't necessarily indicate limited suspicious activity but highlights the difficulty of identifying such instances. The process demands significant time and resources.

"Having the right technology and data analytics capacity is essential for all sports betting integrity efforts because it is like finding a needle in a haystack," said Hood. He also pointed out that technology is a double-edged sword. "Technology is critical for identifying those rare incidents so we can act on them. Newer technologies like artificial intelligence will improve our ability to spot issues but can also create new challenges, so we must leverage and closely monitor them as regulators."

The number of alerts is rising. The IBIA reported 56 alerts in the first quarter of this year, projecting 224 alerts for 2024, a 24% increase.

Sport Must Take the Lead

Major sports leagues like MLB and the NBA prohibit all employees, including players, from betting on league games and run extensive athlete education programs on integrity and betting. However, incidents like Porter's ban and Shohei Ohtani's interpreter's involvement in illegal sports betting in California highlight ongoing risks. These cases show the dangers inherent in the system, even though Ohtani himself wasn't accused of betting.

Hood's main message is that sports leagues, teams, and administrators must take the lead in maintaining integrity.

"Sport needs to take the lead in protecting sport because, in the end, while the AGCO takes competition manipulation very seriously and will partner where we can, our mandate focuses on the betting markets," Hood added. "Our role is to protect the integrity of the betting markets and ensure fairness for Ontario players. Protecting the sport itself is the other side of the same coin, so our interests align in working together."

"Nobody should be putting their heads in the sand as corruption can impact any sport in any country in the world—whether they have legalized sports betting or not."