IBIA launches The Next Bet to tackle the emerging issues shaping sports betting integrity

It kicks off with crypto, blockchain and payment innovation

Brussels: 10 November 2026 – The International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) today launched ‘The Next Bet’, a new thought-leadership initiative bringing together different perspectives on the emerging technologies, market developments and regulatory challenges that could shape the future of regulated sports betting and integrity.

The first edition puts some of the most rapidly developing technologies under the spotlight: digital assets, blockchain and evolving payment solutions.

As regulators develop new frameworks for digital assets and sports betting businesses explore new payment technologies, The Next Bet asks what role these technologies could play in the future of regulated sports betting, and what their 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 seeking a single answer, the publication brings together three complementary perspectives from across the regulated betting ecosystem:

• The Malta Gaming Authority shares insights gained from its pioneering approach to digital asset regulation; 
• Betsson Group explores changing consumer payment preferences and the potential role of technologies such as stablecoins, alongside the regulatory, compliance, fraud and responsible gambling considerations that could influence their adoption; 
• Pay4Fun examines how payment providers can strengthen market integrity through compliance, fraud prevention and transaction monitoring.

Ali added, “One message that emerges clearly from these contributions is that the future of digital assets in regulated betting will not be determined by technology alone. How regulators, payment providers and operators manage risk, maintain trust and work together will be equally important. 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.”

The Next Bet forms part of IBIA’s Mission 2030, its strategic roadmap for responding to the regulatory, technological and market changes that will shape the future of sports betting integrity. Built around three priorities - monitoring and detection, collaboration, and prevention - Mission 2030’s ambition is to safeguard sports, athletes, betting operators and consumers from match-fixing and fraud, while supporting an environment in which the highest integrity standards are applied across regulated sports betting markets worldwide.

Contributor insights from Issue #1: Digital Assets, Payments and Integrity

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.”

Read The Next Bet here.