AGCO cites concerns about odds manipulation, match-fixing and integrity
The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) notified the province’s sportsbooks that they can no longer accept or offer bets on UFC events. This comes after retired UFC fighter and active trainer James Krause came under fire about some suspicious betting activity that was monitored at UFC Fight Night: Rodriguez vs. Lemos on Nov. 5. ESPN Chalk’s David Purdum and Marc Raimondi reported on the investigation and the match in question between Darrick Minner and Shayilan Nuerdanbieke.
Ontario bans all UFC wagers
Ontario has now taken it a major step further and banned all UFC betting at the province’s legal sportsbooks, including DraftKings Sportsbook. The statement, in part, from the AGCO reads:
The short answer as to why this happened is that the AGCO had concerns about “non-compliance” with its betting integrity requirements. To be offered in Ontario, events must be “effectively supervised by a sport governing body”, so it would appear that the UFC does not fulfill that requirement in the minds of officials.