Ontario Resumes UFC Betting

Today the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario announced that it was lifting the ban on bets on Ultimate Fighting Championship events starting immediately.

The move comes a month after the AGCO placed a ban on UFC events due to what the regulator was calling integrity concerns related to the group identifying suspicious betting patterns in other regions around the globe. The regulator has since been working with outside organizations to look into the issues, while the UFC took and changed their own betting policies and procedures. These changes include prohibiting all fight insiders to place any wagers on any UFC match, including fighters, trainers, managers, or anyone affiliated with the athletes.

The UFC has provided assurances that they'll be undertaking enhanced monitoring for insider betting, and this has alleviated the AGCO's concerns.

In a statement, AGCO CEO Tom Mungham said, "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 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."