Igaming in Ontario: AGCO issues $30,000 penalty to NorthStar Gaming

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario has issued the penalty for failure to ensure the site is accessible only to players in the province.

Canada.- The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has issued online casino and sportsbook operator NorthStar Gaming a $30,000 penalty for failing to ensure that its site, NorthStarBets.ca, is accessible only to players in Ontario. AGCO identified the issue during tests from physical locations in Quebec and New York state.

AGCO said that during the assessment, NorthStarBets.ca failed to accurately identify the location of one device. The regulator said it is “further citing the operator for its repeated failure to provide the Registrar with data, information, and documents requested in a timely manner as required”.

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Karin Schnarr, chief executive officer and registrar at AGCO, said: “Ontario’s gaming sector is carefully regulated to ensure it’s conducted legally and with the public interest in mind. The AGCO will continue to take all appropriate steps to ensure that regulated gaming sites are operated with integrity and within the province’s legal framework.”

Operators served with an Order of Monetary Penalty have 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.

iGaming Ontario reports CA$18.4bn betting handle for Q1

iGaming Ontario’s market performance report for the first quarter of the 2024-25 fiscal year shows the handle from April 1 to June 30 was CA$18.4bn (US$13.3bn), a 31 per cent increase year-over-year. Gaming revenue was CA$726m, up 34 per cent year-over-year.

Nearly 1.9m player accounts were active during Q1. The average monthly spend per active player account was $284.

iGaming Ontario reported that casino games, including slots, live and computer-based table games and peer-to-peer bingo, accounted for nearly $15.5bn of wagers and $529m of gaming revenue. Betting, including on sports, esports, proposition and novelty bets, as well as exchange betting, accounted for CA$2.5bn of wagers and CA$181m of gaming revenue.