Football and tennis dominate suspicious betting cases, MGA Q3 2025 report shows

Football and tennis accounted for 81 per cent of all suspicious betting alerts in Q3 2025, according to the Malta Gaming Authority’s (MGA) latest Sports Betting Integrity Report.

Football led the way, representing 43 per cent of alerts (29 out of 68), closely followed by tennis at 38 per cent (26 out of 68). eSports and table tennis each recorded five alerts, while horse racing, cricket, athletics and badminton accounted for the remaining cases.

This marks a shift from Q2 2025, when football dominated with 47 out of 61 suspicious betting reports, followed by six in eSports, two in horse racing, and one in cricket.

The report also highlighted 28 accounts flagged as suspicious, identified by licensees for potentially concerning activity that may not directly influence in-game outcomes.

When operators or monitoring systems detect unusual betting patterns, an alert is issued to relevant stakeholders for further investigation. In Q3 2025, the MGA shared 49 alerts, with activity peaking in August. Of these, 30 related to European events, two to North America, four to South America, two to Africa, five to Asia, and one to the Middle East.

“During the reporting period, 13 reports, including betting data analysis, were shared with sports governing bodies, while nine are in progress,” the report read, adding that 27 alerts were issued without needing a report.