The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), the agency responsible for regulating betting in gambling in Ontario says casinos and other igaming operators must stop accepting wagers on future UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) matches due to concerns over non-compliance with regards to its betting integrity requirements.
This announcement comes after the AGCO says its learned of recent alleged incidents of insider UFC betting as well as suspicious betting patterns in other jurisdictions. With regards to the AGCO, and contrary to their own standards, the UFC does not prohibit insiders from betting on fights, which includes coaches, managers, and other key individuals who may have access to information that isn’t available to the general public.
“This is not a decision we take lightly, knowing the popularity of the UFC events in Ontario sportsbooks,” AGCO Registrar and CEO Tom Mungham was quoted saying in the recent press release.
“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.”
Betting standards in Ontario include rules that help safeguard against manipulation of match odds, match-fixing and other issues as well.
The commission says that once the required remedial steps have been made, igaming operators can then provide information showing and proving that UFC bets meet the established standards.
The AGCO will continue to work together with the UFC, as well as the OLG and iGaming Ontario, to ensure that future events meet their standards.