International sports betting site Betfair is being linked to a long-running criminal investigation into the allegedly fraudulent affairs of jockey Kieren Fallon. According to British media reports, Betfair’s detection of irregular gambling trends on its website is a key feature in the case.

Jack Houghton, a spokesperson for the betting firm, has commented on the reports, saying: "Integrity and transparency are crucial in any sport. Our technology enables us to provide regulatory bodies with the information to achieve this transparency and integrity."
The company works closely with sports regulatory bodies to detect suspicious betting activity and uses state of the art technology to do so. It also advises its members that it reserves the right to provide account information to official regulators.

Founded in 2000 by Andrew Black, Betfair has grown considerably since its early days and today employs approximately 1,000 staff worldwide. Over 800, 000 international customers are registered with the site which records an average of 12,000 bets a minute. The company takes a percentage of winning bets and even allows sports betting fans to place bets after an event has begun – a popular feature which differentiates it from other sports betting firms.
Betfair’s success is just one of the factors behind the decision of United Kingdom’s government to introduce the new Gambling Act, which will provide for the full legalization and regulation of online gambling in Britain by 2007. A new regulatory body, known as the Gambling Commission, has been established to oversee the implementation of the Act.  According to Jo O’Driscoll of the Commision, the percentage of UK residents gambling on the internet has more than doubled in the last five years, and this trend shows no sign of slowing down. Online gambling is forecast to grow by 22 percent in 2006 and has emerged as a $12 billion intenational industry.

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