Less oversight and lower salaries are a major contributor to integrity risks in low-tier esports events, according to Oddin.gg’s Head of Risk, Ondřej Žemba.

In an interview this week, Žemba said that “approximately 99% of integrity risks come from lower-tier events”. 

Low-tier events are seeing increased betting, particularly as prediction market operators expand their esports markets. 

“Tier 1 tournaments are generally safe and professionally managed, with strong integrity controls in place,” Žemba said. But as salaries drop, the risk increases that players will manipulate their performances for betting purposes.

“The biggest integrity risks generally come from lower-tier events, where oversight and operational standards may not be as strong. That’s why it is so important for betting providers to have robust risk management processes and to be selective about the tournaments they cover.”

Fragmented Esports Ecosystem Contributes To Risk

It is a more difficult challenge for esports than for other sports due to the ecosystem’s increased fragmentation, according to Žemba. 

“Compared to traditional sports, the esports ecosystem is still fragmented, with different tournament organizers, publishers, regions, and competitive standards operating at the same time,” Žemba told Win.gg in an interview this week.

“Because of that, there are still areas where the industry needs to continue improving from an integrity and regulatory perspective.”

He did, however, say that the situation is improving. He stated, “The seriousness with which the industry is taking integrity is definitely improving. Years ago, nobody wanted to talk to us about risk. Many people wanted to bury their heads in the sand and expect others to handle it.”

“They didn’t think it was their responsibility. That was a mistake. Match-fixing affects everyone in the industry, and people are finally starting to realize that a cleaner, more transparent ecosystem benefits everyone.”

Sharing Information Is Essential

Organizations such as the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) and the Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) are recruiting more members to tackle match-fixing. Oddin is a member of both and encourages gambling operators to sign up. 

“It’s extremely important that information is shared between operators, tournament organizers, and integrity bodies like IBIA and ESIC. I would encourage more bookmakers and providers to become members of both organizations,” he said. 

Crypto betting platform Rollbit and Stake both signed up to ESIC last year. It is beneficial both to the platforms and the industry as a whole if everyone works together, Žemba said. 

“When the betting industry is united and working together, information about suspicious betting activity can be shared across the market very quickly. This allows bookmakers to react proactively—in some cases even before accepting any wagers—and significantly reduce potential damage,” he added.

How Does Oddin Raise Alerts?

Last month, ESIC suspended the Peruvian Team Clown Crew roster, also known as BarrancoBar, over alleged suspicious gameplay in competitive Dota 2 matches. It was a typical example of a player in a low-tier event that is not earning much money seemingly manipulating his performance for betting purposes. 

Oddin monitors both gameplay and betting activity, which can help detect these incidents faster and address them more quickly. 

“For example, last year we detected both suspicious betting patterns and suspicious in-game behavior in the very same match,” Žemba said. “We documented everything and shared our findings with all relevant stakeholders, including the organization involved, the tournament organizer, and integrity bodies.”

“Our efforts led to a very swift response from all parties, and the player involved is now facing sanctions. This shows how much more effective the industry can be when everyone works together and shares information quickly. It helps us all react faster, limiting potential damage, and sending a clear message that match-fixing and other integrity violations are taken seriously.”

The company has a multi-layered integrity monitoring system, combining automated AI-assisted alerts with continuous analysis by integrity specialists, who have a deep understanding of the nuances of esports.

Never-Ending Battle

The increased opportunities to gamble on low-tier events mean the company has its work cut out, but it is determined to continue the fight. 

“It’s a never-ending battle between us and betting syndicates, which are constantly trying to find weaknesses in the defenses of bookmakers and providers,” said Žemba.

“Ultimately, the goal is to proactively detect and stop suspicious activity in order to protect our customers and the esports betting ecosystem.”