Ontario Gaming Commission to Bar Bets on UFC Cards for Integrity Concerns

Canadian fight fans from Kingston to Kenora can no longer bet on
Ultimate Fighting Championship events for the
foreseeable future.

Per ESPN
on Thursday, the Alcohol Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has
informed all sportsbooks in the province of Ontario, Canada, that
they cannot offer any bets on UFC events going forward. The block
has been issued for an indeterminate amount of time, and it is in
effect immediately – this means, for example, that no person in
Toronto can bet on any fight from
UFC on ESPN 42 in Saturday. The AGCO will levy a far stricter
ban than the New Jersey Division of Gambling Enforcement
issued earlier in the month, where the state prohibited any
books from allowing bets on any fight involving coach and former
fighter James
Krause, who helms the large team Glory MMA & Fitness.

The reason for the prohibition of all UFC wagers, according to
ESPN, is “due to concerns about non-compliance with AGCO’s betting
integrity requirements.” The AGCO did not specifically state any
particular match or combatant that led to this decision. However,
the UFC, Krause and others including recent competitor Darrick
Minner, are all under investigation by Las Vegas-based betting
integrity firm U.S. Integrity, a third-party organization that
reviews anomalies on sportsbooks and reports that information to
the commissions, books and promotions involved. The recent issue
stemmed from a sudden surge of mid-event betting on Minner’s
opponent, Nuerdanbieke
Shayilan, at UFC Fight Night 214 in November.

That night, significant money poured in on Shayilan to win the
fight, and also to win by stoppage. The line moved across the
sportsbooks from roughly -220 to -370 in the span of just a few
hours. Additionally, the betting lines of the bout lasting under
2.5 rounds moved from about -140 to -190 in that same stretch of
time. This, according to rumor on social media, may have been due
to a recently discovered injury that Minner carried into the
matchup. The sudden line shift and irregularities were noticed by
the sportsbooks, some of which promptly informed the aforementioned
U.S. Integrity. Since the investigations began, Krause or his
representatives have subsequently deleted a pay-to-access Discord
channel that issued betting advice, as well as his YouTube channel
that featured betting content.

The AGCO
issued a statement about this decision, which read in part:

“In recent weeks, the AGCO has learned of publicized alleged
incidents, including possible betting by UFC insiders, as well as
reports of suspicious betting patterns in other jurisdictions.

Therefore, the AGCO is now taking this step in the public interest.
AGCO has indicated to operators that, once the necessary remedial
steps have been taken, they may provide information demonstrating
that UFC bets or other betting productions meet the Registrar’s
Standards.”

”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.”

The “Standards,” or the
“Registrar’s Standards for Gaming, Internet Gaming, and
Lottery,” are in place in the province to prevent any
malfeasance on the part of interested bettors or those placing
suspicious bets. The requirements listed in the Standards include
“requiring operators to actively monitor the betting markets for
suspicious betting activity” as well as “prohibiting insiders,
including coaches, athletes and referees, from betting on certain
events.” The UFC recently enacted a similar policy to prevent
fighters or all connected individuals including teammates and
immediate family members from betting on their fights. This type of
regulation exists across practically all other major sports leagues
ranging from MLB to the NHL.