The International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) and its member companies, bet365, Betway and FanDuel, have announced their plan to launch and support a national athlete education campaign in Canada.

To address the possible threat from match-fixing and fraud associated with sports betting to athletes, sports and the regulated market, they have agreed to invest at least CA$300,000 (US$220,000) over three years in the programme.

The announcement was made at the "Symposium on Competition Manipulation and Gambling in Sport" in Toronto. The CFL, CPL, Hockey Canada, NFL, NBA and NHL, as well as national and provisional governments, licensing and regulatory authorities like the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario and the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission, were among the attendees.

Further, the project financing partners are actively discussing a delivery body with the goal of finalising it in the coming weeks. The programme is planned to feature in-person athlete training, an online learning portal, an anonymous reporting app, and awareness-raising materials when it is launched in the second part of this year.

Jean-Francois Reymond, IBIA’s Education Ambassador, said: “Our objective is to build a best-in-class program for all athletes that serves to protect the integrity of Canadian sport and the careers of Canada’s athletes.”

Anthony Werkman, Betway CEO, said: “As a global brand, we have a commitment to combatting any form of betting corruption, both globally and locally, and we look forward to working with the other members to help shape a better future for both sports organisations and regulators.”

Khalid Ali, IBIA CEO, said: “IBIA is delighted that our members, such as bet365, Betway and FanDuel, are so committed to sports betting education and are prepared to invest in such an important initiative

"All the partners are excited to see the positive impact this project will have on maintaining the integrity of Canadian sport and the players themselves.”