Bets On UFC Banned by Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario

• The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario banned bets on UFC today due to concerns over betting integrity
• All registered casino, lottery and iGaming operators must stop offering and accepting UFC bets
• The UFC does not prohibit all insiders from betting on UFC events, a violation of the AGCO’s standards

Ontario sports betting will no longer feature UFC events.

According to the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), in order to protect the betting public, all casinos, lottery and iGaming operators will no longer be able to offer or accepts wagers on UFC events due to “concerns about non-compliance with AGCO’s betting integrity requirements.”

Violation of AGCO Standards

The AGCO pointed to several publicized alleged incidents, including possible betting by UFC insiders, as well as reports of suspicious betting patterns on UFC events. Contrary to the AGCO Registrar’s Standards, the UFC does not prohibit all insiders from betting on their events, which may include athlete’s coaches, managers, handlers, or other people with access to non-public information.

The Standards include rules to safeguard against odds manipulation, match-fixing, and other sports betting integrity requirements.

“The standards exist to protect the betting public and to provide the necessary safeguards against odds manipulation, match-fixing and other integrity issues. 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,” Tom Mungham, AGCO Registrar and CEO, said in a released statement.

Betting on the UFC can begin again once operators have provided the AGCO with information demonstration that UFC bets or betting products meet the AGCO’s standards.

Recent UFC Fight Under Investigation

Concerns may have arisen from a recent UFC fight between Darrick Minner and Shayilan Nuerdanbieke earlier this month.

According to an ESPN report, the fight between the two ended abruptly in the first round with  Nuerdanbieke victory over underdog Minner. Leading up to the fight, rumors persisted that Minner had suffered an injury that had not been released to the public. According to ESPN, money poured into sports betting operators that Nuerdanbieke would win in the first round by knockout, which is exactly how the fight ended.

Some sportsbooks were forced to take the fight off the board, according to an analysis conducted by U.S. Integrity, a firm that monitors the betting market.

Here’s what ESPN said about the fight:

“On Saturday, with rumors circulating among bettors that Minner was injured, Nuerdanbieke’s odds to win moved from -220 to -420 in the four hours before the fight. Just 30 seconds into the fight, Minner threw a left kick to Nuerdanbieke’s body and immediately grimaced and reached for his left leg. Nuerdanbieke closed in and Minner went for another left body kick before Nuerdanbieke dropped Minner with a knee to the head and finished on the ground with elbows. The TKO stoppage came at 1:07 of the first round.”