The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has announced three igaming operators have been fined for ‘alleged infractions’ of the Registrar’s Standards for Internet Gaming.
Bunchberry, LeoVegas and Mobile Incorporated have all been served with Notices of Monetary Penalty for breaching Standards 4.08 and 4.09 after providing games that had not been approved by the Registrar, nor certified by an Independent Testing Laboratory (ITL) registered by the Registrar.
Mobile Incorporated has also been charged with failing to comply with Standard 1.22 after its uncertified games were provided from a supplier not registered with the Ontario Crown agency.
Bunchberry has been fined $15,000 for its non-compliance, with LeoVegas Gaming handed a higher penalty of $25,000.
Mobile Incorporated has been handed the most severe fine of $30,000.
“The AGCO holds all registered operators to high standards of responsible gambling, player protection and game integrity, and monitors their activities in the interest of Ontarians,” said AGCO CEO and Registrar Tom Mungham, who is set to retire this fall.
“A critical feature of our regulatory framework requires operators to only offer games that are from registered gaming suppliers and have been certified by an AGCO-registered independent testing laboratory to meet the highest standards of game integrity.
“Ontarians who choose to play on registered sites need the assurance that the games being provided meet these requirements.”
All three operators have the right to appeal the Registrar’s action to the Licence Appeal Tribunal (LAT), which is an adjudicative tribunal independent of the AGCO and part of Tribunals Ontario.
The AGCO has taken similar steps over the past year as the agency seeks to drive standards in the Ontario igaming market.
Last May, it issued penalties to the Canadian operations of BetMGM and PointsBet for alleged advertising and inducement infractions.
BetMGM Canada was issued a fine totalling $48,000 for its alleged failure to comply with Standards 2.04 and 2.05, while PointsBet Canada was fined $30,000 for an alleged failure to comply with Standard 2.05.
DraftKings and UniBet are amongst others to have incurred the wrath of the AGCO since last year.
The AGCO updated its Registrar’s Standards for Internet Gaming last October, bringing an end to the transition period for unregulated operators and suppliers, as well as amending standards for live dealer games.
Subsequently, Standards 1.22 and 4.09 came into effect on Nov. 1, and Standard 4.08 later on Apr. 4.
