The UFC has announced U.S. Integrity as its official integrity service to oversee betting activity on its fights. It was U.S. Integrity that first identified the suspicious betting activity in the November 5th fight involving Darrick Minner and Shayilan Nuerdanbieke.
The company will be “capable of identifying and analyzing unusual wagering activity as indicative of possible integrity concerns” per the U.S. Integrity news release.
The agreement includes all UFC fights through 2023 which includes Dana White’s Contender Series.
Via news release:
“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.”
Payout Perspective:
The UFC partnering with U.S. Integrity offers the company some credibility as it faces investigations on multiple levels. Not only is the Nevada State Athletic Commission investigating the gambling issue involving James Krause but the FBI is said to be involved as well. Having a third-party work with the UFC shows that it is trying to curtail any fraudulent conduct to ensure that sportsbooks can trust the promotion.
Leave a Reply