The International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) has launched The Next Bet, a new initiative exploring the technologies, market developments and regulatory challenges that could shape the future of regulated sports betting and integrity.
The first edition focuses on digital assets, blockchain and emerging payment solutions. As regulators develop frameworks for digital assets and betting businesses explore new payment technologies, the publication considers their potential role in regulated sports betting and what wider adoption could mean for integrity, regulation and consumer protection.
“The industry is changing rapidly, and integrity frameworks need to anticipate those changes rather than react to them after the fact,” said Khalid Ali, CEO of IBIA. “The Next Bet creates a space for regulators, operators, sports, and other stakeholders to exchange perspectives on the issues that could shape the future of regulated sports betting. Digital assets sit at the intersection of technology, payments, regulation and compliance, making them a natural starting point.”
Rather than offering a single answer, the first edition brings together contributions from across the regulated betting ecosystem:
- Malta Gaming Authority shares insights from its approach to digital asset regulation.
- Betsson Group examines changing consumer payment preferences and the potential role of technologies such as stablecoins. Its contribution also considers regulatory, compliance, fraud and responsible gambling issues.
- Pay4Fun discusses how payment providers can support market integrity through compliance, fraud prevention and transaction monitoring.
Ali said the future of digital assets in regulated betting will depend not only on technology, but also on how industry participants manage risk, maintain trust and work together.
“The aim of The Next Bet isn’t to provide all the answers, but to bring different perspectives together, challenge assumptions and encourage the conversations the industry needs to have about what comes next.”
Nadia Calleja, Head of Legal for Payments & Customer Operations, Betsson Group:
“Players now expect familiar payment methods that support instant deposits, near-instant withdrawals, one-click mobile payments and frictionless onboarding, while operators must balance conversion, cost, fraud prevention and regulatory compliance.”
Sarah Vassallo, Senior Legal Counsel, Betsson Group:
“In regulated iGaming markets, crypto asset adoption is likely to focus on regulated, fiat-backed stablecoins embedded within established compliance frameworks.”
Leonardo Baptista, CEO and Co-founder, Pay4Fun:
“Through robust compliance, fraud prevention, and anti-money laundering controls, payment providers play an increasingly strategic role in ensuring that innovation strengthens, rather than compromises, market integrity.”
“Innovation must evolve alongside regulation to ensure security, transparency, and trust among all market participants, including consumers. If these conditions are met, digital assets could represent a natural evolution of the financial infrastructure of the future.”
Martha Brincat, Chief Regulatory Officer, Malta Gaming Authority:
“Certain applications of blockchain technology may support greater transparency and traceability. Where appropriately used, they could add value to monitoring and investigative processes, supporting integrity oversight.”
“The key objective for regulators is to ensure that consumers who choose to use digital assets can do so within a properly regulated environment, where both the gambling activity and the supporting financial services are subject to effective regulatory oversight.”
The Next Bet is part of IBIA’s Mission 2030, its strategic roadmap for responding to the regulatory, technological and market changes shaping sports betting integrity.
Mission 2030 focuses on three priorities: monitoring and detection, collaboration, and prevention. Its aim is to protect sports, athletes, betting operators and consumers from match-fixing and fraud, while supporting high integrity standards across regulated sports betting markets worldwide.
About IBIA
The International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) is a not-for-profit association funded by operators committed to safeguarding betting integrity. Its Global Monitoring & Alert Platform (Global MAP) uses operator intelligence from 90+ members to identify and share alerts on suspicious betting across regulated markets worldwide.
Its collaboration model enables intelligence sharing between operators, sport’s governing bodies, regulators and law enforcement. It helps prevent the manipulation of sports and betting markets through athlete education, policy guidance and by promoting integrity standards.
