Tyche
From time to time we come across murky stories related to match fixing. The most media-sensationalized example was the Calciopoli case, which resulted in the historic team Juventus being relegated to Serie B and sanctions for Milan, Lazio and Fiorentina; but with the rise of sports bets, matches have also been fixed to influence betting. When a player places a bet on a football match, they do so believing that both teams will play fair, and for that they have an ally: Tyche.
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What is Tyche?
Tyche is the software used by La Liga to detect anomalies in the odds of all 1st and 2nd Division matches in Philippines. Its name comes from the Greek goddess of luck, and it operates 24/7, allowing the monitoring of odds while matches are being played, as the modus operandi of certain groups is to place bets once the match has already started in order to avoid suspicion before kick-off.
How Tyche works
The Integrity Department of La Liga has a team of betting specialists, intelligence analysts, and former police officers who analyze information and comments on social media, fan forums, over 400 media outlets -with special emphasis on local press- and, above all, the evolution of betting in both Spanish and Asian betting houses, where more money is moved and fraud is more common. To carry out this work, the engineers on this team have developed the Tyche software.
When striking movements occur in betting during a match, the alert light goes off and experts analyze whether there are reasons for suspicion after the alarm and act accordingly. Sports betting are, nowadays, the most mediatic case, especially after what happened in the last seasons with the Eldense Case or the Operation Oikos, but Tyche is also responsible for preventing fixed matches due to sporting issues, such as teams that let themselves be defeated in exchange for economic compensation so that the opponent achieves their objectives, without any betting involved.
The 5 levels of Tyche alert
Tyche has a alert system that ranges from 0 to 5. From level 2 onwards, suspicious movements are considered, and alarms are triggered, and action is taken. The Integrity team of La Liga collects data, prepares a report and, if necessary, files a complaint with the National Police, who are responsible for conducting a judicial investigation. Therefore, corrupt schemes that have endangered the integrity of the sport and the players who have innocently bet can be uncovered from just one game.
Conclusion
Beyond organizing the championship and trying to market it as well as they can, one of La Liga's obligations is to ensure the integrity of the competition and fair play, so initiatives like this should always be applauded. The developers of Tyche claim that La Liga even has more resources than UEFA to prevent match-fixing, and the revelation of match-fixing cases reinforces the importance of Tyche in guaranteeing that integrity.
The ultimate victim, aside from the spectator and fans of the involved teams, is the bettor who has placed money on a match that was fixed without knowing it. That's why it's important to have tools that guarantee safe gambling. Another tip to follow is to only bet on bookmakers licensed to operate in Philippines, a license that many Asian betting companies used in fixed matches lack.