- Esports Integrity Coalition continues to build on successful partnerships with companies to tackle esports fraud
- The latest alliance is forged with PandaScore, a data provider, in a bid to garner keener insights into data aberrations
- ESIC remains committed to cleaning up esports from fraud as more criminals are participating, eliciting action from law enforcement
Preserving the integrity of esports competitions is a joint effort and ESIC has added PandaScore as an official data partner to continue battling various offenses in the segment.
ESIC Secures New Data Partner with PandaScore
The Esports Integrity Coalition (ESIC) will not drop the issue. Match-fixing has long pestered esports, but it was through the efforts of the industry’s integrity body that those underhand practices were brought to light.
Today ESIC is teaming up with esports data firm PandaScore in a bid to continue tackling the issue at a time when criminals step into the esports arena and their expertise in fixing games becomes more sophisticated.
PandaScore will proceed as an official data sponsor for the commission which will assist with ESIC’s efforts in monitoring betting markets, follow up on aberrations in the data and continue carrying out risk monitoring to ensure the integrity of esports globally.
ESIC is building up on relationship with numerous data entities, including Esports Charts, and others that are yet to be announced in a bid to involve all stakeholders and bring them together against match-fixing despite some recent criticism mounted at the commission.
The commission’s Director of Global Strategy and Partnerships, Stephen Hanna, has welcomed the move as ESIC’s is continuing on its mission to involve more big data partners and stakeholders and help enhance the organization’s efforts in tackling esports fraud.
Esports Fraud Continues to Pose Challenges
“Reliable data is at the center of ESIC’s ability to effectively administer its Integrity Program. Partnering with reliable data providers that possess an integrity mindset, like PandaScore, is a step towards more effective administration of a global integrity framework,” Hanna added.
ESIC is following in best-in-class practices where the commission follows up on suspicious betting activity and collaborates with esports leagues, betting firms and now data companies to draw accurate conclusions about the likelihood of certain outcome being the result of malicious premeditation.
PandaScore will now join the fight and assist with investigating suspicious betting activity, flag potentially fraudulent outcomes, and more. PandaScore is already experienced in providing established gambling companies with a deeper insight into esports, and supplies odds for the likes of Scientific Games and Entain.
PandaScore CEO Flavien Guillocheau welcomed the opportunity and said that it was a milestone moment for the company. He reiterated PandaScore’s commitment to combat match-fixing and ensure that integrity is upheld to the highest standards.
ESIC has previously teamed up with Oddin.gg, another data company that is equally committed to preserving the fairness of esports. While esports match-fixing was a fairly low-key offense, today it may lead to prison sentences.
Australian police forces have opened a criminal case against match-fixers and in the United States, the FBI is now learning about esports fraud and treating the practice as crime, even though the agency is still catching up.
