The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has announced they are slapping three regulated igaming operators with a total of $70,000 ($USD51,700) in fines for allegedly offering uncertified slot games to the public.
Bunchberry Limited, Mobile Incorporated Limited, and LeoVegas Gaming PLC are alleged to have provided games on their Ontario gaming sites that, contrary to Standards 4.08 and 4.09, were not approved by the AGCO Registrar nor certified by an Independent Testing Laboratory registered by the Registrar. In addition to that, contrary to Standard 1.22, the uncertified games that Mobile allegedly provided were from suppliers who are not registered with the AGCO.
Mobile was fined $30,000 for their alleged infractions. LeoVegas was fined $25,000, while Bunchberry was fined $15,000.
“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 in a statement. “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 of the impacted operators can appeal the Registrar’s decision to the Licence Appeal Tribunal.
The open, regulated Ontario is just a year old – having celebrated its one-year anniversary April 4. iGaming Ontario reported that the market generated $35.5 billion in total wagers over the market’s first year, with total gaming revenue at $1.4 billion. There are currently 45 licensed operators in the province.
The last time the AGCO issued fines was in August of 2022 when they fined Unibet $48,000 for alleged advertising and inducement infractions.
