AGCO proceeds with penalties against unlicensed operators

Ontario has been attracting significant interest from gambling companies, the majority of which are licensed and can operate in the market under their licenses issued by the Alcohol andGaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO). Now, though, several entities have been found in breach of the province-mandated gambling rules, prompting the Registar of the AGCO to serve them with penalty notices over alleged infractions of the Registar’s Standards for Internet Gaming, the regulator shared on its official website.

According to the regulator, Bunchberry Limited, Mobile Incorporated Limited and LeoVegas Gaming PLC were all found in breach of Standards 4.08 and 4.09, which specifically state that companies providing games on the local market must only provide games that have been approved by the AGCO Registar and certified by an independent testing laboratory that holds a license with the Registrar.

The penalty notice went further to explain that Mobile Incorporated Limited also breached Standard 1.22, which argues that any games provided on the Internet gambling market in Ontario have to come from suppliers that have been registered with the AGCO. The regulator did use the phrasing "allegedly" in describing the infringements, but it seems to have issued the monetary penalties, nevertheless.

Each of the entities has been served with an Order of Monetary Penalty. In the case of Mobile Incorporated Limited, the sum amounts to $30,000, the largest of the three penalties issued against an entity. The company breached Standards 1.22, 4.08 and 4.09, according to the regulator.

LeoVegas Gaming PLC is said to have breached Standards 4.08 and 4.09 and has been served with an Order of Monetary Penalty worth $25,000 for this alleged infraction. Then, there is Bunchberry Limited, which is also found in breach of Standards 4.08 and 4.09 and has been served with a $15,000 Order of Monetary Penalty.

Commenting on these breaches, AGCO Chief Executive Officer and Registrar Tom Mungham said that all registered operators must adhere to high standards of responsible gambling, game integrity, and player protection. Mungham reaffirmed the role that the AGCO plays in ensuring that these standards are observed.

"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," he explained, and said that local players must be able to trust the locally licensed sites.

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