Challengers League Professional Gladiators flagged for suspicious betting activity after federation said matches were pre-arranged

Bookmakers betting on a mixed martial arts event billed to broadcast live last Friday found their accounts under review over the weekend after an integrity supervisor tied flags suspicious betting activity and the Professional Gladiators Federation said the match had actually taken place a week earlier.

FuboTV promoted Friday’s live broadcast of the PFL Challenger Series at 9 p.m. ET, and the PFL tweeted Friday night that “The boxers are in the building for TONIGHT.” The odds on Series Challenger changed dramatically in favor of each winner on the Friday afternoon before the broadcast.

On Saturday, US Integrity, a Las Vegas-based company that oversees the betting market, sent a warning to sportsbooks saying it had confirmed to the PFL that matches were over. on March 25th.

“Therefore, it is very likely that any potentially questionable betting activity is an indication of malpractice,” US Integrity wrote in a warning obtained by ESPN, which recommends that sportsbooks provide Betting on this event please notify the state regulatory authorities.

Sportsbooks contacted by ESPN said they were looking into the matter and some unresolved bets on the event while they were looking into what happened. The Arizona Game Suite is removing the PFL from its betting portfolio, the state’s fantasy sports and events betting administrator told ESPN in an email. The Colorado Gaming Division said it was investigating the matter, and the Nevada Gaming Control Board and the New Hampshire Lottery said they were aware of the situation. New Jersey Game Enforcement declined to comment.

In a statement to ESPN on Monday, PFL spokesman Loren Mack said Friday’s broadcast was the first time in its history that an initial broadcast of an event was pre-recorded. , but he did not say why.

Mack wrote in an email: “Any sportsbook that has bet on a pre-recorded program has done so without consent or without knowledge of the PFL,” Mack wrote in an email, adding that the PFL “will further evaluate the matter”. According to a statement from the PFL included in the US Integrity warning, the union “has signed confidentiality agreements with all involved.”

Mack also writes that “the PFL does not include any program-related betting lines, content or promotions.” But the federation posted a number of teases about the event on Twitter, including a tweet on Friday night that posted pictures of fighters in the octagon and said “check out the office tonight” and directed people to to the streaming link on fuboTV.

TONIGHT PFL Challenger Series brings you their professional debut!
Watch all the action LIVE at 9 p.m. ET anywhere you can stream @fubosports #PFLonfuboTV pic.twitter.com/fO6dgfr3UA

– fuboTV (@fuboTV) April 1, 2022

That same day, fuboTV’s Twitter account also advertised the event that would take place that night: “TONIGHT PFL Challenger Series bringing you their pro debuts! Check out all the action LIVE! at 9pm ET anywhere you can stream @fubosports #PFLonfuboTV.”

“The PFL Challenger Series is usually broadcast live on the Fubo Sports Network,” Jennifer Press, fuboTV’s senior vice president of communications, told ESPN. “The April 1 event was the only exception and was pre-recorded. We accidentally used the same ad copy for the April 1 show as we did for the previous shows. there, that was a mistake. We’re sorry.”

At Bet365 sportsbook, heavyweight Rakim Talley increased from -290 to -2,500 bigger likes Santino Zurita. Talley won by unanimous decision. The odds also change significantly in favor of Andrija StankovicAlexei Pergande, Christian Turner and Daeri Alderman. All four fighters also won.

Matthew Holt, president of US Integrity, said the company could not disclose details of an ongoing investigation.

“Our goal has always been to notify the industry of any potential nefarious, unusual or suspicious activity as soon as possible so they can act as quickly as possible,” says Holt.

Some bettors believed the event would go live on Friday and took to social media to wonder why they weren’t getting paid for betting on the winners.

Virginia-based bettor Kyle Miller told ESPN that “100%” of the advertised event was live. He said someone had mentioned on social media earlier in the week that the matches were pre-recorded, but Miller said he’s been checking around, searching social media and the website. of the tournament, and did not find any evidence of that. As of Tuesday, the PFL’s website listed the April 1 event as pre-recorded.

Miller said the odds were advertised for events through legitimate betting sites, bets were being made and the event advertised as taking place on Friday, so he declined to suggest that the matches have happened and place a four-pin parlay bet with BetMGM. He said he won about $200 on the bet. He said he didn’t know the outcome of the fights before they were broadcast.

“The bets I placed won,” Miller said. All won. “The money got into my account…everything is fine. Then I log in [Sunday] to place some more bets on the UFC this week, and that money is gone. “

Miller, who runs a site that provides betting and commentary advice on MMA, said he opened an online complaint with BetMGM and was told his account was under review. He said he kept the amount he had originally bet, not his winnings, and he said Monday that he is still waiting for a response from BetMGM customer service.

Sportsbooks often rely on odds providers to create betting lines for events like the PFL, which are automated into platforms. BetMGM and Caesars Sportsbook declined to comment on the matter when contacted by ESPN.

A DraftKings spokesperson said in a statement to ESPN that they offer odds for the event in a number of states. “At the time we believe the event in question is live. After noticing unusual activity on several fights, DraftKings has removed the market. [on its own accord]”according to the statement.” We are working with regulators to determine the appropriate course of action. “

Game regulation advisor Karl Bennison, a former executive director of the Nevada Gaming Control Board, wrote in an email that he does not recall a similar situation involving an apparent misrepresentation of the game. date of the event, note that there have been recurring instances when sportsbooks make mistakes and inputs, such as the start time of an event, are incorrect.

“In general, a licensed sportsbook operator is accountable to the gaming authority for knowledge of the facts and time limits for bets offered and is prohibited from knowingly accepting bets posted before,” he wrote. “There may or may not be a law enforcement concern regarding an incident that has occurred in the past – that depends on the facts surrounding the incident and applicable law in the jurisdiction. of the subject.”