The International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) has published a response to the Australian Sports Wagering Scheme (ASWS) calling for an integration of in-play sports betting.

The ASWS is a planned national framework aiming to enforce sporting integrity in the Australian market. Currently in Australia, live betting is only permitted at retail venues or via telephone. The body has recommended that in-play online betting be introduced to combat the illegal market.

The not-for-profit trade organisation has argued that the lack of live sports betting in Australia increases the attractiveness of offshore betting with “unregulated or poor regulated Asian betting operators.”

According to the IBIA, there are a number of competitive benefits for offshore operators targeting Australian bettors, such as lack of license fees, taxes and product fees.

The body also argued that when Australian bettors use offshore operators, authorities “lose visibility of this wagering activity,” making it more difficult to monitor wagering markets for match-fixing or unlawful activity.

The IBIA has also suggested that there should be a regulatory body which oversees the market, named Sport Integrity Australia (SIA). This body would have access to operators’ source data and would have the power to suspend wagering markets if any match-fixing is identified.