ESSA expands into Russia with Fonbet link-up

Betting industry integrity body ESSA has expanded its reach into the Russian market by entering into a partnership with domestic operator Fonbet.

The company, which runs both online services and land-based betting shops, will become the 20th operator to sign up as a member of ESSA.

In 2014, Fonbet was recognised as the biggest operator in Russia, boasting 1,180 betting shops, a 21.4% market share, as well as 2.5 million monthly visits to its website.

“We have been very impressed by ESSA’s systems and professional operation; it continues to play an important role for our sector not just as an effective alert mechanism, but also defending operators at major policy forums,” Fonbet chief marketing officer Alexandra Sergeeva said.

“Fonbet recognises the importance of this and the clear advantages of being part of an organisation of that stature.”

Khalid Ali, secretary general of ESSA, added: “Fonbet is a major player in the Russian betting market and it will add significant value to our alert system, benefiting our wider membership and integrity partners.

“Fonbet joins other responsible betting operators intent on driving fixers and cheats out of their markets; the options for corrupters continues to diminish as ESSA’s membership and global information sharing network grows.”

Related article: ESSA, Betradar commence tennis integrity partnership