A United Nations Crime Conference in Doha, Qatar on April 15, 2015, revealed sports betting is a $3 trillion business, with most of the funds being played through illegal gambling locations. A betting expert, Patrick Jay stated about 65% of the global figure is spent on football sports betting, with  the Asian market being the hub for most sports gambling. Cricket and Tennis make up another 12% of the $3 trillion value assigned to the global sports betting market.

A second statement by Jay indicated a conservative estimate of the global sports gambling industry would be $1 trillion, but he suggested the figure may be triple that amount. He told the crime conference that 90% of the sports betting volume is in illegal markets.

Jay stated that China is the epicenter of the action because games broadcast on TV in Asia happen prior to broadcasts around the world. It sparks more betting on a global scale. He stated about one billion Euros can be wagered on a single football game.

The conference was attended by top officials from Qatar, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, and John Stevens, Baron Stevens of Kirkwhelpington. Also in attendance were representatives from the International Center for Sports Security.