Sportsbooks in Ontario are no longer allowed to offer and accept wagers on the UFC, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario announced Thursday.
The ban, effective immediately, is due to concerns about the UFC’s non-compliance with AGCO’s betting integrity requirements.
According to the release, UFC does not prohibit all “insiders” from betting on UFC events, which goes against AGCO’s Registrar’s Standards, which are rules to safeguard against odds manipulation, match-fixing and other sports integrity issues.
Insiders are classified as including an athlete’s “coaches, managers, handlers, athletic trainers, medical professionals, or other persons with access to non-public information.”
“The Standards exist to protect the betting public and to provide the necessary safeguards against odds manipulation, match-fixing and other integrity issues,” AGCO Registrar and CEO Tom Mungham said in the release. “This is not a decision we take lightly, knowing the popularity of UFC events in Ontario’s sports books. However, the risks of insider betting on event and wagering integrity should be highly concerning to all. It certainly is to us. We will continue to work with gaming operators, the OLG, iGaming Ontario and UFC to ensure that wagering on UFC events meets the AGCO’s Standards.”
The AGCO said it learned of publicized alleged incidents in recent weeks, including possible betting by UFC insiders and reports of suspicious betting patterns in other jurisdictions.
In October, the UFC notified its athletes in a memo obtained by ESPN that fighters and members of their teams were prohibited from betting on UFC fights, “in light of clear direction that we have received from regulators responsible for the regulated sports betting industry in the United Staes.”
However, a month later, several sportsbooks across different states reported suspicious bets on a fight between Darrick Minner and Shayilan Nuerdanbieke. That prompted an investigation by a U.S.-based betting integrity firm.
In response, the UFC said it had no reason to believe either fighter or anyone associated with their teams behaved unethically.
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