IBIA and pawaTech partner to combat fraud in African sports betting
The tech provider behind betPawa joins global watchdog to combat fraud and ensure safe, transparent betting across 17 African markets.
Rwanda.- In a powerful step to bolster transparency and trust in the African sports betting industry, pawaTech, the technology company behind the popular betPawa sportsbook, has partnered with the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA).
Operating in 17 African countries and expanding rapidly, pawaTech brings a distinctly African footprint to IBIA’s global anti-corruption arsenal, which monitors more than $300bn in betting turnover annually across more than 140 brands.
The partnership will ensure that betting data from pawaTech’s sportsbook operations will feed into IBIA’s sophisticated alert network, a tool designed to detect and report suspicious betting patterns linked to match-fixing and fraud.
“Joining IBIA reflects our commitment to fair play, integrity and safer betting. We are proud to support a trusted ecosystem that makes betting more secure, transparent and player-friendly across Africa,” said Juri Sidorenko, CEO of pawaTech.
The timing is no coincidence. As sports betting explodes across the continent, often outpacing regulation, integrity has become a non-negotiable.
“We are thrilled to welcome pawaTech to IBIA,” said Khalid Ali, CEO of IBIA.
“The company’s unique African operational footprint and technology infrastructure bring valuable regional market knowledge and monitoring coverage to our association. This partnership further strengthens our global network and supports our shared goal of protecting the integrity of sport and regulated betting markets.”
Defending legal betting
Founded in 2005, IBIA is a not-for-profit organisation built by and for operators to defend legal betting markets from corruption. Unlike commercial monitoring firms, its bespoke system tracks account-level activity, offering an unparalleled ability to detect foul play.
In the first quarter of 2024 alone, IBIA issued 63 alerts on suspicious activity. These helped trigger investigations that led to disciplinary action against 17 players, officials and clubs.
For pawaTech – which has launched in six new markets in the past year and prides itself on friendly, mobile-first betting – the move cements its identity as a tech leader driving industry responsibility.
