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The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has recently begun to investigate PointsBet Canada and has threatened to fine the company for several alleged infractions of the Registrar’s Standards for Internet Gaming in Ontario. The fine covers a number of infractions that AGCO found at PointsBet Canada, raising questions regarding the safety of players.
AGCO has identified many serious infractions, one of which being PointsBet Canada’s neglect to help a high-risk client who could be harmed by gambling. The customer lost more than $500,000 in less than three months, and PointsBet Canada’s algorithms repeatedly identified them as being high-risk. In spite of these warnings, no actions were taken during the crucial time.
AGCO also brought attention to a violation of the operator’s Ontario license, which was connected to PointsBet Canada’s inability to implement a 24-hour cooling-off period after players canceled their daily deposit cap.
Other infractions included using direct advertising to offer incentives, bonuses, or credits without the active agreement of the user. AGCO reported cases in which a player’s account was credited with $35,500 by PointsBet Canada even after the user withdrew their agreement to receive direct marketing and promotion.
Concerns were also raised by AGCO’s conclusions about PointsBet Canada’s neglect to guarantee that staff members were aware of responsible gaming. One systematic problem that was found to be present was insufficient training, which prevented gamers who were harmed by gambling from receiving the proper assistance.
AGCO underlined how committed it is to dealing with violations of the Registrar’s Standards for Internet Gaming and how crucial these regulations are to protecting players who might be harmed by gaming. The commission demonstrated its commitment to maintaining high standards by requiring accountability from each and every licensed operator.
Like any other financial punishment in Ontario, PointsBet Canada is still able to challenge the ruling. As of the time of this report, the business has not responded to the fine that was assessed.
AGCO CEO and Registrar Karin Schnarr affirmed the commission’s focus on player protection, stating, “AGCO will continue to focus on player protection by holding all registered operators to these high standards.”