BETBY Wins First ESIC CPU Vs CPU Gold Standard
The Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) has named BETBY the first organisation to receive its CPU v CPU Gold Standard. The accreditation, announced on November 12, 2026, covers automated esports competitions whose match results feed into betting markets.
It follows an on-site audit, a review of extra evidence and an independent audit review carried out in August 2026. For operators that offer esports betting on software-run matches, it is the first independent benchmark of its kind.
What The Standard Covers
ESIC launched the framework on October 29, 2026, according to its own press release. It sets out 17 areas of mandatory controls for automated competitions, covering the systems that generate and validate match outcomes, the infrastructure that runs them and the people who are authorised to operate or change them.
The standard has separate requirements for three kinds of decision system. Locally deployed machine-learning models must be cryptographically signed and verified before deployment, with two authorised people required to approve a deployment.
Externally hosted large language model APIs need an ESIC-approved provider and model, an exact dated model identifier and a pinned endpoint, and rolling aliases such as latest are prohibited. Deterministic or rules-based algorithms are covered too, alongside platform-wide security and governance obligations.
ESIC explains the reasoning in simple terms. In CPU v CPU competition, software controls the competing participants, so integrity depends on being able to show which software, model, rules and configuration were used, how they were approved and whether the match ran under the declared conditions.
Versions and configurations must be declared and recorded before a match, unauthorised changes are restricted during it, and records must be retained afterwards so an outcome can be investigated.
BETBY's Award
In its announcement of the award, ESIC said BETBY met the applicable requirements within the assessed scope. BETBY has also committed to an annual audit review process to keep the accreditation.
ESIC Chief Executive Stephen Hanna said the framework gives the industry a practical basis for independent scrutiny, from the software version used in a match to the controls around deployment, access and incident response.
Ilze Ramolina, General Counsel at BETBY, said the company was pleased to see ESIC extend its certification framework to this kind of content.
She said integrity oversight and control frameworks have to evolve as new forms of esports content emerge, and that working within a framework designed for it gives partners more confidence.
Casino Games Hub
Why It Matters For Bettors/Operators
Automated matches such as virtual football and basketball run around the clock and finish in a few minutes, which makes them popular markets on betting sites. Because no human players are involved, trust rests on the technology and on the organisation operating it. An independent accreditation gives operators a clearer way to judge the integrity controls behind the content they offer.
ESIC has encouraged other providers to seek independent assessment against the standard, and said broader adoption could create more consistent integrity expectations across automated esports competitions. BETBY is a B2B sports betting technology supplier whose products include sportsbook software, virtual sports and esports betting for operators.
Accreditation does not change how bettors should approach any market, and the usual responsible gambling advice still applies to virtual and esports betting alike. What to watch next is whether other suppliers put their own automated products forward for assessment under the standard.
