AGCO issues CA$150,000 penalty againt PointsBet in Ontario

The Registrar of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario says PointsBet Canada failed to meet responsible gambling requirements.

Canada.- The Registrar of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has issued PointsBet Canada a notice of a CA$150,000 monetary penalty for failing to meet responsible gambling requirements.

Violations included failing to assist a customer who was potentially experiencing gambling harm, failing to enforce a 24-hour cooling-off period when players cancelled their per-day deposit limit, and communicating gambling inducements, bonuses or credits through direct advertising without active player consent.

AGCO said the operator failed to ensure that employees understood the importance of responsible gambling and were adequately trained to respond appropriately. PointsBet has the right to appeal the Registrar’s action to the Licence Appeal Tribunal (LAT), an adjudicative tribunal independent of the AGCO and part of Tribunals Ontario.

Karin Schnarr, chief executive Officer and Registrar at AGCO said: “In Ontario, igaming operators have an obligation to proactively monitor their patrons’ play for signs of high-risk gambling, and to take appropriate actions to intervene and reduce the potential for gambling-related harms. The AGCO will continue to focus on player protection by holding all registered operators to these high standards.”

Last month, AGCO served Ontario Gaming GTA, the operator of Toronto’s Casino Woodbine with notice of a monetary penalty totalling $80,000 following a case of cheating.

In April, the Ontario Provincial Police Investigation and Enforcement Bureau (IEB), embedded within the AGCO, charged five people on allegations that an electronic craps dealer was in collusion with customers. After a compliance review to assess Casino Woodbine’s adherence to the Gaming Control Act, 1992, and its Standards for Gaming, AGCO’s Regulatory Compliance Branch found that Casino Woodbine failed to detect or prevent the infraction.

Meanwhile, AGCO has updated the Registrar’s Standards for Internet Gaming to prohibit the use of athletes in igaming advertising and marketing in the province. It has also restricted the use of celebrities who would be expected to appeal to minors. These new restrictions will come into effect on February 28, 2024.