All Ontario-registered sportsbook operators are required by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) to stop accepting wagers on World Boxing Association (WBA) events, due to concerns around operational integrity.
Measures have been put in place to safeguard the region’s betting public, in the wake of a review which has revealed suspicious wagering activity on the WBA-sanctioned boxing match between Livan Navarro and Yoenis Tellez. The review has led to concern on the AGCO’s part that matches are not being properly safeguarded against insider betting and match-fixing.
The fight between Navarro and Tellez was held in Orlando, Florida at a local casino. Two independent integrity monitors flagged suspicious activity to the AGCO after detection through a registered iGaming operator. Further, alleged media reports have highlighted that Tellez’s manager placed a $110,000 bet on the match lasting longer than 5.5 rounds. Tellez then went on to knock out Navarro in the 10th round.
Subsequently, the allegations prompted an extensive review, in which the AGCO concluded that bets related to WBA events are not meeting the minimum Registrar’s Standards for Internet Gaming. Ontarian registered gaming operators have been unable to prove that the WBA took any action to investigate allegations of insider wagering or match-fixing, in addition to a lack of evidence that the WBA prohibits insider wagering from occurring in the first instance.
Dr. Karin Schnarr, Registrar and CEO at the AGCO, said, “Ontarians who wish to bet on sporting events need to be confident that those events are fairly run, and that clear integrity safeguards are in place and enforced by an effective sport governing body. Knowing the popularity of boxing in Ontario, we look forward to reinstating betting on WBA events once appropriate safeguards against possible match-fixing and insider betting have been confirmed.”
The problem of insider betting is not limited to just the WBA, as the NBA handed Toronto Raptors Center Jontay Porter a lifetime ban, following the violation of betting rules.
