UFC Hires Gaming Integrity Firm to Tighten Gambling Rules Amid Probe

Written by :

Don Shapiro

Published on :

20 January, 2023

UFC Hires Gaming Integrity Firm to Tighten Gambling Rules Amid Probe

In the wake of a probe into a Nov. 5 UFC fight between Darrick Minner and Shayilan Nuerdanbieke whereby suspicious betting activity was noted by a number of gambling firms, the UFC this week announced a new gambling policy.

The odds on favorite Nuerdanbieke beating underdog Minner shifted dramatically in the hours leading up to their Vegas fight. Money specifically poured in on Nuerdanbieke winning by knockout in the first round and the fight lasting under 2.5 rounds. That bout ended abruptly in the first round. New Jersey has since halted wagering on any events involving Minner coach James Krause while two Canadian jurisdictions temporarily suspended betting on the UFC.

Alberta's Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) on Thursday lifted a ban on UFC betting that had been instituted Dec. 1.

"In order to protect the betting public, the AGCO's Registrar's Standards include rules to safeguard against odds manipulation, match-fixing and other sports betting integrity issues," the AGCO statement read. "Sport and event betting operators must specifically ensure that sporting events they offer bets on are effectively supervised by a governing body which must, at minimum, prescribe rules and enforce codes of conduct that include prohibitions on betting by insiders. There must also be integrity safeguards in place, which are sufficient to mitigate the risk of match-fixing and other illicit activities that might influence the outcome of bet upon events."

Multiple sources have told ESPN that the FBI has been collecting information and interviewing people about the fight.

Regarding the new policy, the UFC specifically teamed up with sports wagering monitoring firm U.S. Integrity and has introduced stricter language about wagering in its fighter code of conduct. UFC's athlete conduct policy will prohibit insiders from placing any wagers on any match.

In recent years, UFC matches have ranked among the most wagered on at websites that have existed now for over ten years. These include BetOnline with that company's Brand Manager Dave Mason regularly confirming newly set betting records.

“Throughout this process, we have had productive discussions with the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) to address the concerns AGCO expressed to their operators,” said Riché T. McKnight, Executive Vice President & General Counsel of UFC. “We have made enhancements to our UFC Athlete Conduct Policy to more clearly express the prohibition against any UFC athlete from placing any wagers directly or through a third party on any UFC match, including placing wagers on themselves. We have also expanded our discussion of so-called ‘UFC Insiders’ to make clear that these same prohibitions against wagering apply to an athlete’s coaches, managers, handlers, athletic trainers, and other individuals affiliated with the athletes or UFC, and that violations by these Insiders may result in disciplinary action against related contract athletes. Finally, we have reiterated our expectation that our contract athletes will come to us to report any matters that might raise integrity concerns. We thank the AGCO for their cooperation, and we look forward to continuing to work with them to ensure the integrity of our sport for the benefit of our athletes and our fans.”