Parimatch Holding has joined the Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) to combat fraud in esports.
Parimatch will provide ESIC with betting data in order to help investigate possible cases of match-fixing and fraud. Parimatch’s membership in the ESIC underlines its belief that it is vital to promote openness and honesty in traditional sports as much as esports.
According to ESIC, the number of betting alerts potentially connected to match-fixing nearly doubled between 2017 and 2018. To oppose this and other threats to esports, ESIC continuously extends its Members and Supporters list, for which the bookmaker community is a key focus.
“We are delighted to welcome Parimatch into our global anti-match fixing supporter network. To have a key betting operator, with a huge esports offering in Russian language territories, become a member is a big step forward for ESIC as we seek to expand our suspicious betting alert system. The team at Parimatch has been wonderful and very professional to work with, and we are looking forward to continuing our cooperation with them,” ESIC commissioner Ian Smith said.
“Parimatch stands for complete transparency and honesty in working with its clients. We care about fair play, not only in traditional sports but also in esports, as the fastest growing and most promising category. We do not see reason for different approaches to traditional sports and esports, and respect the choice of each fan. That is why we did not hesitate to become a partner to ESIC in the fight against fraud, and thank the ESIC team for their initiative. Targeted actions aimed at identifying suspicious matches in esports can help the entire industry to be sustainable and reliable, both for people who are keen on betting and ordinary fans of esports,” Stepan Shulga, Head of esports at Parimatch, said.

By Niji Narayan

Niji Narayan has been in the writing industry for well over a decade or so. He prides himself as one of the few survivors left in the world who have actually mastered the impossible art of copy editing. Niji graduated in Physics and obtained his Master’s degree in Communication and Journalism. He has always interested in sports writing and travel writing. He has written for numerous websites and his in-depth analytical articles top sports magazines like Cricket Today and Sports Today. He reports gaming industry headlines from all around the globe.