According to ESPN, the UFC has officially banned its athletes from betting on the organization’s fights with bookmakers. The relevant document containing specific innovations was sent to athletes and their teams on Monday, October 17th.
The updated betting policy does not prevent fighters from entering into sponsorship deals with bookmakers. Many bookmakers pay fighters to post their picks on social media and often offer discount codes to attract new customers.
UFC fighters often place bets on the outcome of fights. Some athletes are not averse to betting on their own success. For example, in 2021, lightweight Justin Jaynes bet $25,000 to win over Charles Ross.
It is worth noting that such a ban has long been in effect in some US states. In addition to the fighter himself, betting on UFC fights may be prohibited for members of the training team, family members of the fighter, or anyone with inside information about the fight.
Hunter Campbell, UFC chief business officer, said: «As the sport has grown over time, the overwhelming majority of states that regulate sports gambling have some prohibitions on inside betting activity.
And this wasn’t something the UFC advanced independently. This was something the UFC set forth in response from governmental agencies, aware we are also subject to governmental regulation as we’re licensed promoters in virtually every state. It’s the natural evolution of the sport.»
UFC partners are many well-known bookmakers such as Stake.com, Bet365, DraftKings and others.
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