The Sydney Morning Herald reports that there was a betting ban for UFC 193 this past November due to “integrity issues.” While there was nothing specific as to why no bets were taken on the event which featured Holly Holm and Ronda Rousey, it appears that the province was concerned with unspecified irregularities.
The gambling regulator for Victoria, the province which held the event, banned Tabcorp from taking bets on the event. The ban was based on “warnings by law enforcement agencies that the sport was vulnerable to corruption and money laundering by organized criminals.” Tabcorp is governed by the province of Victoria as it is licensed by the province. There is concern that the province is susceptible to offshore and interstate gaming operators.
A Victorian spokeswoman interviewed for the piece stated that mixed martial arts was “exposed to a heightened risk” of criminal behavior and match-fixing.
The article states that it was the first time the Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation had prevented taking bets on a sporting event.
UFC’s executive VP Tom Wright was quoted in the article defending the integrity of the UFC. Wright cited the “Code of Conduct” signed by UFC fighters with respect to addressing potential corruption issues.
A spokeswoman for the Victorian Police issued this statement:
“Any sport where there are two people competing against each other and where a betting agency is taking bets, is open to corruption. The risk of corruption increases where the betting agency operates offshore and is not under the regulatory environment of the VCGLR…”
The article claims that the Victorian gaming commission would not have prevented bets on cage fighting “without solid intelligence.”
Payout Perspective:
For those wondering, there is nothing specific about UFC fighters and gambling in the Code of Conduct although there is language which states that they may be disciplined for actions that “puts at risk the integrity and the reputation of the UFC.” There is still opposition to cage fighting in the province as the ban on it was lifted last spring. The article is silent on whether the “intelligence” they had on preventing people from taking bets on the fights came from concerns over the UFC or whether it was based on information from another MMA organization. With the sport being new in the province, this appears to be concern over how to deal with the sport. I’m not sure if the fact that people cannot gamble on UFC in the province is the concern. Rather, it is the tacit allegations that the sport is susceptible to fraud is the issue.
Melbourne is the STATE capitol. Victoria is a state in the Commonwealth/ nation of Australia. There are no PROVINCES in Australia. Not that it makes a huge difference. There are Territories. …….side note–Kickboxing as a SPORT was not legal in Massachusetts until MMA was formally legislated. This was mainly to fight illegal gambling in unsanctioned bouts. Curiously in the1980-90s most Mass based fighters travelled to and fought in Rhode Island. Providence, had quite a few Kickboxing gyms. Ask Mr Dana White about Kickboxing in Mass. He still considers himself a Southie Kid.
The UFC reportedly spent money on QCs & Barristers to get the “cage” legalized in the State of Victoria. It is not now allowed to promote a Pro MMA show inside a ring in the State of Victoria. Melbourne, Victoria may be viewed in Australia as Chicago, Illinois may be in the USA. Heavy on politics and establishment and potential corruption.
Gambling on MMA fights in Melbourne , Victoria is still has https://www.ladbrokes.com.au/sports/mixed-martial-arts/10676877-ufc-ufc-future-fights/ Gambling in Australia is as popular as surfing.
Australian authorities heard of the underground locker room bonuses…” big amounts” hahahahaha
Thanks for the clarification Edi
Several outlets throwaway most extra paperwork on Wednesday day,
such as the deals.