The province of Ontario has come down hard on the UFC in the wake of recent betting controversy.
On Thursday, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario announced that effective immediately, “all registered casino, lottery and igaming operators that offer sport and event betting products in Ontario [are] to stop offering and accepting wagers on Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) events due to concerns about non-compliance with AGCO’s betting integrity requirements.”
This blow is to Canada’s UFC and the online betting websites that offer wagering services for global fight promotion. Ontario remains the biggest sports market in Canada.
The AGCO stated that it had learned about “publicized alleged incidents,” including betting by UFC insiders and reports of unusual betting patterns in other countries.
The AGCO’s Registar’s Standards prohibit anyone having access to information that is not public to bet on fighters. This includes coaches, managers and trainers as well as medical professionals. The UFC has added to their Code of Conduct a clause that prohibits fighters from placing bets on fights.
” The Standards are there to protect and safeguard the betting public, and to provide necessary safeguards against match-fixing, odds manipulation and other integrity problems,” AGCO Registar CEO Tom Mungham stated in the statement. “This is not a decision we take lightly, knowing the popularity of UFC events in Ontario’s sports books. However, insider wagering on events and integrity of betting should concern everyone. 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.”
UFC wagers have come under intense scrutiny over the past month, with a Nov. 5 bout featuring Darrick Minner vs. Shayilan Nuerdanbieke at UFC Vegas 64 drawing massive attention.
Minner was knocked out by TKO in 67 second shortly after appearing to have sustained a leg injury during the fight for featherweight. The fight was a huge success, with betting lines shifting dramatically in Nuerdanbieke’s favor. Minner’s suspicious behavior and an undisclosed injury leading to his fight led to an investigation.
UFC officials denied wrongdoing by fighters or their teams, but Minner could face a sanction from the state depending on what the investigation finds.
Minner’s coach James Krause was dealt an indirect sanction by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement. They ordered all New Jersey sportsbooks to stop betting on fighters who were coached by Krause. Due to ongoing investigations, Krause was not allowed to corner Miles Johns fighter at UFC Vegas 65 November 19. He has also been banned from using his online gambling advice channel Discord.
Read the AGCO’s full statement on the UFC betting ban below:
In order to protect the betting public, effective immediately, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) is requiring all registered casino, lottery and igaming operators that offer sport and event betting products in Ontario to stop offering and accepting wagers on Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) events due to concerns about non-compliance with AGCO’s betting integrity requirements.
The Registrar’s Standard covers rules that protect against match-fixing, odds manipulation and other integrity concerns in sports betting. Operators are required to ensure :
– To bet on sporting events, the sport governing body must supervise them. This must at least prescribe final rules for betting and enforce code of conduct.
– There are integrity safeguards that are adequate to reduce the chance of cheating at play, match-fixing and any other illegal activity that could influence the outcome.
According to the Registrar’s Standards, UFC doesn’t prohibit insiders betting on UFC events. This could include athletes’ coaches, managers and handlers as well as athletic trainers or medical professionals who have access to information that is not public.
The AGCO learned about alleged UFC betting incidents in recent weeks. There have also been reports that there were suspicious patterns of betting occurring elsewhere.
The AGCO has taken this action in the public’s interest. AGCO has indicated to operators that, once the necessary remedial steps have been taken, they may provide information demonstrating that UFC bets or betting products meet the Registrar’s Standards.
Source: https://www.mmafighting.com/2022/12/1/23488352/ontario-commission-bans-betting-ufc-fights-concerns-integrity-requirements?rand=96749
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