The Ontario Board of Alcohol and Gaming (AGCO) has ordered all licensees in Canada to stop offering and accepting bets on WBA events due to concerns about their integrity. The action is effective immediately in Ontario and includes bets on all WBA events and competitions.
AGCO made the decision after ruling that WBA-approved boxing matches were not adequately protected from match-fixing and insider betting. This followed a comprehensive review of suspicious betting activities on certain WBA-approved title fights.
During the bout between Yoenis Telles and Livan Navarro, suspicious betting patterns lasting more than five rounds were reported to AGCO by two registered independent integrity monitors and detected in Ontario by registered game operators.
Media reports say Tellez’s manager bet $110,000 (£64,300/€75,085/$79,822) over five and a half rounds at a Florida casino. The fight ended with Tellez knocking out Navarro in the 10th round. 실시간 바카라사이트
Regulatory authorities related to insider batting
The AGCO review of the matter began in December 2023 and covers a range of bases. This included working with the WBA, Ontario registered game operators, integrity monitors and other regulatory bodies in jurisdiction.
Ontario regulators have concluded that bets related to WBA boxing matches do not currently meet the standards of the Internet Games Registrar. As a result, they have suspended bets on WBA matches.
AGCO said it bans licensed operators from betting from insiders because they could not prove to the WBA. AGCO said this could include athlete coaches, managers, handlers, athletic trainers, medical professionals or others who have access to nonpublic information.
In addition, the operators were unable to show that the WBA had taken action to investigate or enforce allegations of potential match-fixing and insider betting.
Can WBA bets come back in Ontario?
Betting interruptions could be temporary. AGCO says betting could restart if operators can prove the WBA oversees events effectively.
Such measures will ensure that WBA events are compliant with Ontario’s Registrar’s standards.
“Ontario residents looking to bet on sporting events need to be confident that those events are being run fairly and that clear integrity protection measures are being implemented by effective sports governing bodies,” said Karin Schnarr, CEO and registrar of AGCO.
As we know the popularity of boxing in Ontario, we look forward to resuming betting on WBA stocks once the possibility of match-fixing and appropriate safeguards for insider betting are identified
Ontario takes similar action on UFC betting
This is not the first time the AGCO has ordered a halt on certain bets. In December 2022, Ontario regulators called on operators to stop betting on the UFC over similar insider betting concerns.
The UFC had revised its rules and regulations since a few weeks ago to ban its athletes from betting on UFC fights. But AGCO said other insiders, such as coaches, managers, handlers, athletic trainers and medics, could still bet as well.
However, the ban lasted only a few weeks, and UFC betting was allowed again in Ontario the following month. This came after the UFC revised its policy and implemented various new protocols.
Among the new measures were to prevent coaches, managers, handlers, athletic trainers and athletes or other individuals related to the UFC from betting on UFC fights anymore. The UFC said violations could result in disciplinary action against related contractors.
Gambling ads are on the chopping block in Ontario
The ban also comes after a new study showed widespread opposition to gambling advertising in Ontario.
A Maru poll published this month found that 59% were in favor of a total ban on advertising. Most also believe operators do not act responsibly and that there should be more government regulations.
The poll was conducted weeks before the introduction of the Ontario Provincial Alcohol and Gaming Commission’s latest advertising regulation. The regulation prohibits sportsbooks from using celebrities for promotional activities. It also prohibits sportsbook advertising near schools or in other places where teens or vulnerable populations gather.
Full sponsorship prohibited from 2026
It was announced in April 2023 that Premier League clubs had agreed to stop sponsoring gambling companies for the front of the club’s shirts.
However, the ban will not be imposed until the 2026-27 season. Until then, the best clubs in the U.K., such as Aston Villa, are free to advertise gambling companies on the front of their shirts.
Villa were criticised for their supporters’ trust when the club announced a major partnership with BK8 after announcing a ban on future sponsorship in June last year.
The Aston Villa Supporters Trust called the move a “tragic last-minute attempt” to win financial rewards from gambling sponsorship, ignoring the potential impact of gambling damage.