The provincial board overseeing gambling in Ontario has had a change of heart about betting on certain events.

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has given regulated sport and event betting operators the green light to resume accepting bets on Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) bouts, effective immediately.

The ban had been in place for roughly six weeks in response to concerns about betting integrity.

“On December 1, 2022, following alleged incidents, including possible betting by UFC insiders, and reports of suspicious betting patterns in other jurisdictions, the AGCO required all registered gaming operators in Ontario to stop offering and accepting wagers on UFC events,” read the AGCO order issued Thursday. “Since that date, the AGCO has been actively engaged with regulated entities and stakeholders as they worked to address the issues.”

The AGCO Registrar Standards contain provisions designed to protect against match-fixing or other practices compromising the integrity of the match outcome.

Additional policies are being implemented. These include the UFC prohibiting all insiders from betting on matches in any way, agreeing to enhance monitoring for insider betting, requiring insiders to contact the UFC with any concerns about betting integrity, and entering a partnership with US Integrity to identify and end any unusual betting activity.

“The AGCO is committed to protecting Ontario players and the integrity of its betting market,” said AGCO CEO and Registrar Tom Mungham. “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.”

Complete information on sports and event betting in Ontario can be found on the AGCO’s official website.