According to a memo sent to athletes and their teams, the UFC will no longer allow its fighters to bet on fights.
The UFC athlete code of conduct will now include a prohibition of wagering on UFC fights in light of clear direction that we have received from regulators responsible for the regulated sports betting industry in the United States. Fighters' teams and certain others will be included in the prohibition. The news was reported by Yahoo Sports.
Campbell said that the majority of states that regulate sports gambling have prohibitions on inside betting activity. This wasn't something the UFC did alone. The UFC knew they were subject to governmental regulation as they are licensed in virtually every state. The evolution of the sport is natural.
Some states bar athletes from betting on fights in promotions or events with which they are affiliated, a ban that can also be extended to fighters' "training teams, family members and others that have access to "inside information" relating to the athletes and their events."
The UFC's contracted athletes are not exempt from these prohibitions which state legislators and regulators have implemented for the purpose of maintaining the integrity of our sport.
As sports betting has become legal in many states, betting sites have become major sponsors of UFC fighters and MMA athletes. The UFC will not prevent fighters from being brand ambassadors for companies that sponsor betting, according to a memo written by Campbell. The UFC's code of conduct still allows some fighters to get paid by betting sponsors for giving their picks on fights, even though they get paid by betting.
Fighters who competed in the UFC in 2020 and 2021, for example, have openly talked about betting on themselves over the past 18 months, and fighters have routinely shared accounts of them gambling on fights.
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