Canadian gambling regulator reinstates UFC betting

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario has announced that regulated sports betting operators in the Canadian province could resume offering bets on Ultimate Fighting Championship events.

Bet on UFC it was suspended when an investigation into inside betting began last year. The investigation is still ongoing.

On December 1, 2022, following alleged incidents, including possible bets of UFC insiders and reports of suspicious betting patterns in other jurisdictions, the AGCO requested all registered gaming operators in Ontario to stop offering and accepting bets UFC events.

“Since that date, the AGCO has been actively engaged with regulated entities and stakeholders as they work to address the issues,” the regulator said.

“In order to protect the betting public, the AGCOThe registrar’s standards include rules to safeguard odds manipulation, match-fixing and other sports betting integrity issues. Sports betting and event operators must specifically ensure that the sporting events on which they offer bets are effectively overseen by a governing body which must, as a minimum, prescribe rules and enforce codes of conduct which include bans on betting by jobs.

The UFC has updated its policies and procedures to prohibit all insiders from placing bets directly or through third parties on any UFC match, including placing bets on yourself.

“In light of these actions, the Registrar is satisfied that the betting integrity concerns raised have now been addressed and therefore allows registered gaming operators to resume offering UFCrelated bets,” the Ontario regulator said.

“Operators must continue to meet all applicable logging standards and the AGCO will continue to monitor compliance with the Standards. The AGCO is aware of ongoing investigations in other jurisdictions and will monitor the outcome and actions related to such investigations.”

Tom Mungham, Registrar and CEO, AGCOsaid in a statement:

“The AGCO is committed to protecting Ontario players and the integrity of its betting market. With the legalization of single event betting last year, the AGCO has created strong new rules to protect punters in Ontario. We are pleased that these rules are already working to strengthen the integrity of sports betting in Ontario and as a result, of UFC competitions all over the world”.