The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario has issued three operators with fines totalling CAD$70,000 for violations of its Standards for Internet Gaming regarding game integrity.
In a statement, the AGCO noted that Bunchberry Limited ($15,000 fine), Mobile Incorporated Limited ($30,000 fine) and LeoVegas Games ($25,000 fine), have each been handed Notices of Monetary Penalty for breaching standards 4.08 and 4.09 – offering slot “games on their Ontario gaming sites that were not approved by the AGCO Registrar nor certified by an Independent Testing Laboratory”.
Mobile Incorporated was also found to have broken standard 1.22, which involves offering uncertified games from suppliers that are not registered with the Ontario regulatory agency.
The AGCO stated that the standards are in place “to protect Ontarians from potential harms while ensuring game integrity and fairness”, adding that they include “clear requirements” for operators and suppliers to stop unregulated activities and only provide games “that have been certified by an AGCO-registered ITL against the standards”.
Tom Mungham, CEO and Registrar of the AGCO, commented: “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.
“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.”
The AGCO added that a registered operator served with a Notice of Monetary Penalty has the right to appeal the action to the Licence Appeal Tribunal, an adjudicative tribunal independent of the AGCO and part of Tribunals Ontario.