The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has announced that they are reinstating the ability for licenced sports betting operators in Ontario to resume accepting UFC (or Ultimate Fighting Championship) bets immediately.
In December of last year, Affiliate Insider reported that the Canadian province had halted all UFC betting amid integrity concerns, with a statement from the AGCO saying all UFC events and indeed sports betting events, “must be effectively supervised by a sport governing body which must, at minimum, prescribe final rules and enforce codes of conduct that include prohibitions on betting by insiders”.
The statement went on to say that there must be “integrity safeguards in place which are sufficient to mitigate the risk of match-fixing, cheat-at-play, and other illicit activity that might influence the outcome of bet upon events”.
These concerns, prompted by a UFC fight between Darrick Minner and Shayilan Nuerdanbieke being reported for suspicious wagering by operators, led the AGCO to halt all UFC betting until an investigation was conducted.
“The AGCO is committed to protecting Ontario players and the integrity of its betting market,” AGCO chief executive and registrar Tom Mungham said. “With the legalization of single event betting last year, the AGCO created strong new rules to protect bettors in Ontario.
“We are pleased these rules are already working to strengthen the integrity of sports betting in Ontario and, as a result, of UFC competitions around the world.”
