Ontario gaming commission bans betting on fights amid concerns of impropriety and integrity

The Ontario Gaming Commission is banning any sports gambling on the UFC after ongoing scandals.

Sports betting has been a significant contributor to the UFC’s success. Yet, things have started to spiral out of control after a recent incident. Betting lines changed unexpectedly right before Darrick Minner fought injured and lost against Shayilan Nuerdanbieke in the first round at UFC Vegas 64. It should be noted that Minner’s coach, James Krause of Glory MMA, has been closely connected with sports betting. This includes a podcast and discord server that provides MMA betting predictions.

Investigations by numerous parties have been ongoing, and the Ontario gaming commission has taken action. The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), released a statement that featured the following statements:

“In order to protect the betting public, effective immediately, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) is requiring all registered casino, lottery and gaming operators that offer sport and event betting products in Ontario to stop offering and accepting wagers on Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) events due to concerns about non-compliance with AGCO’s betting integrity requirements…”

The statement continues:

“Contrary to the Registrar’s Standards, the UFC does not prohibit all insiders from betting on UFC events, which could include an athlete’s coaches, managers, handlers, athletic trainers, medical professionals, or other persons with access to non-public information."

It continued:

“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.”

The decision made by the Ontario Gaming Commission likely means something has been revealed during investigations. Only time will tell if Minner and Krause are proven guilty or acquitted of all accusations.

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Ontario gaming commission is requiring the UFC to take ‘the necessary remedial steps’ before considering any changes to their policies

The statement made by the Ontario Gaming Commission has accused the UFC of not prohibiting insider information. After listing the specific rules the UFC failed to accommodate, the Ontario Gaming Commission placed this in its official statement:

“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 betting products meet the Registrar’s Standards.”

As of October, the UFC placed a new rule that bans all fighters and their teams from betting on UFC fights and events. The primary concerns seem to be fighters being aware of their teammates' and training partners’ undisclosed injuries before a fight. It’ll be intriguing to see how the UFC and Dana White react to the decision made by AGCO.