Esports data company GRID Esports has announced that it has joined the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) as an associate member, the first of its kind in esports.

The partnership will see GRID work with IBIA on esports-related topics such as integrity in esports betting and will help combat integrity breaches and other unlawful practices in esports betting.

The partnership is a major one for GRID, as the company is the first esports-focused associate member of IBIA. Another esports-focused data company, Oddin.gg, has been a regular member of the IBIA since early 2024. IBIA represents more than 50 betting companies worldwide and helps combat betting corruption and other illegal practices. IBIA’s members operate more than 120 sports betting brands.

According to a release, GRID and IBIA will “share information relating to suspicious esports betting and potential match manipulation from their monitoring and intelligence platforms.”

In addition, other IBIA members will be able to access integrity-focused resources created by GRID.

GRID was announced as an approved betting data supplier by IBIA in 2022, and the new development aims to further expand the collaboration between the data company and the non-profit organisation.

Moritz Maurer, CEO of GRID, commented: “Integrity is at the heart of GRID’s mission. By joining IBIA as an Associate Member, we are taking a definitive step toward establishing esports as a trusted and credible industry.

“This partnership enables us to further our efforts in promoting transparency, reducing risks associated with esports betting, and strengthening operational practices across the ecosystem.’’

GRID has recently secured a large, multi-year data deal with tournament organiser BLAST and has appointed former Riot Games executive John Knauss as Executive VP. Earlier in 2024, GRID worked with the Esports World Cup foundation and co-created a Rainbow Six Siege data portal with Ubisoft.