The UK media has been abuzz with the culmination of a criminal investigation into the affairs of ex-champion jockey Kieren Fallon and seven others now facing charges of conspiracy to defraud. A key element in the case stems from alleged irregular betting patterns spotted on Betfair, the international online betting exchange.

Using sophisticated tracking software to flag suspicious betting activity any betting service reserves the right to provide account information to official regulators.

Betfair spokesman Jack Houghton said: “Our technology enables us to provide regulatory bodies with the information to achieve transparency and integrity.”