Canadian Premier League (CPL) soccer teams have undertaken an International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) sports betting integrity program designed to educate players in the league on the intersection of sports and gambling.

Created by the IBIA using its 3Rs training model, the program utilized a combination of dedicated in-person training and online resources. Sessions were delivered by the Professional Footballers’ Association Canada (PFA Canada) through its Protecting the Integrity of the Game workshops.

In total, nearly 200 players have been trained through the IBIA/PFA Canada partnership at all eight CPL teams. The program started in Ontario and finished in Alberta, also covering teams in Nova Scotia, Manitoba and British Colombia.

It concluded the first part of a two-year player education agreement between IBIA and PFA Canada. The program, first announced in May, was the first to be delivered from a $300,000 three-year fund invested by IBIA and its members bet365, Betway and FanDuel. That fund allows Canadian sports and athletes to receive free face-to-face integrity education designed to protect Canadian sports from the potential threat of match manipulation and corruption.

“The IBIA sports betting integrity training, in partnership with PFA Canada, was an incredibly beneficial experience for our players,” said Marco Carducci, goalkeeper for Calgary’s Cavalry FC  and president of PFA Canada. “Effective and easy to understand, it made clear what professional athletes need to know about sports betting integrity and how to report attempted corruption. We are grateful for IBIA’s support to help safeguard the integrity of the game and to protect and educate our players.”

In addition to highlighting the potential threats from betting-related match-fixing, the program educated players on rules and sanctions surrounding gambling, the scale and accuracy of technology-enabled sports integrity monitoring and how to report criminals and corrupters using the red button app.

Dan Kruk, PFA Canada’s executive director, added that the program ensures that stakeholders can be confident that the association’s members know their obligations regarding gambling and match-fixing in their sport, as well as how to recognize an approach to fix a match and their duty to report any person attempting to manipulate a match.

“We take our responsibility to protect regulated sports betting markets, sports and athletes seriously,” added Khalid Ali, CEO of IBIA. “Decades of experience has shown that a combination of efficient regulation, education and collaboration are essential to safeguarding the sports integrity ecosystem. We are delighted that the PFA Canada education program has been so successful and look forward to year two of the project.”