PGA Tour to implement new betting integrity program in 2018

While the Tour has a longstanding policy prohibiting players from betting or related activities at Tour-related events, the new Integrity Program is more comprehensive. It will cover all facets of competition and operations on the six Tours overseen by the PGA, including players and their support teams, all tournament staff and volunteers, the entire PGA Tour staff and the PGA Tour Policy Board.

To assist with the implementation of the program the Tour has engaged Genius Sports to provide several key services. This includes its state-of-the-art bet monitoring system which tracks real-time betting activity and utilises proprietary algorithms to identify potentially suspicious patterns occurring in global betting markets.

"The bedrock of PGA Tour competition are the inherent values of golf and the honesty and integrity of our members,” PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan said. "We felt it was important to move forward with an Integrity Program to further protect our competition from betting-related issues. Genius Sports will provide essential support as we roll out the Program across the entire PGA Tour.”

The Tour has worked with Genius Sports to develop a tailored educational program that will help players, caddies and officials to identify, resist and report incidents of potential betting corruption.

Mark Locke, CEO at Genius Sports Group, said: "We are delighted to partner with the PGA Tour to drive its integrity initiatives. Protecting the integrity of sport has never been of greater importance and it requires forward-thinking organizations such as the PGA Tour to proactively invest in both proven technology and education driven by true expertise.”

Source: GMB