Some Canadians in places such as Ontario worry that the gambling industry is not regulated enough, but the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, the company in charge of regulating the industry in Ontario, has recently proven that they are not going to be pushovers and that those who step out of line will be severely and rightly punished for doing so. They have handed out a number of big fines recently, and we are going to take a closer look at these in this article.
Rideau Carlton Casino Fined $227,000
The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario fined the Rideau Carlton Casino around $227,000 for many regulatory violations, which included failing to implement and follow anti-money laundering procedures and policies. In addition to this, the casino owners are alleged to have advertised to players who had taken the option to self-exclude from gambling, failed to make sure that staff were trained properly, and failed to have the correct security measures in place.
The AGCO has a responsibility to make sure that casinos, both land-based and online, are operating with integrity, honesty, and within public interest. Tom Mungham, the Registrar and CEO of the AGCO, declared that such penalties were put in place to drive the improvements that the Rideau Carleton Casino needs to make, and they will be monitoring them closely to make sure that the necessary changes are made.
"The AGCO has a responsibility to make sure that casinos, both land-based and online, are operating with integrity, honesty, and within public interest."
Helen MacMillan, the General Manager of the Rideau Carlton Casino, has declared that most of the issues have been corrected already and that they are in constant communication with the AGCO to make sure that all issues are addressed correctly. They are always looking to improve and make sure that they meet all the necessary requirements to carry on offering gambling to the people of Ontario.
DraftKings Receive a Fine of $100,000
The AGCO also issued a $100,000 fine to DraftKings due to their gambling shortcomings. The big fine came about due to the fact that gambling inducements like credits, bonuses, and any other kind of promo material is strictly forbidden when targeting potential customers that have not yet given their consent to receive such promotional offers.
Advertising welcome offers and other promotions is allowed when they are targeting existing players, but it seems that DraftKings did not receive that memo for a period between May the 19th and 31st. The AGCO specifically mentioned odds advertisements in the shape of boosters during the playoffs in the NHL. This advert was aired live on TV and on their social media accounts as well.
Mungham declared that the AGCO is fully committed to regulating the gambling industry in Ontario and making sure that all operators, no matter how big or small, meet the regulations that are there to protect consumers. Any company that falls below the high standard that is expected will be fined and given a chance to correct their mistakes. If such mistakes continue to be made, then their license will be revoked.
More Companies Fined over Advertisement Rules
The Ontario private gambling sector was launched back in April of 2022, but confusion regarding advertisement rules has resulted in both PointsBet Canada and BetMG< receiving fines from the AGCO. PointsBet Canada had to pay out $30,000, while BetMGM had to pay a fine of $48,000. Both of these gambling companies had broken Standards 2.05, and the AGCO declared that the offenses included the advertisement of free bets and Launch Party promos to non-existing customers.
The AGCO Have the Publics' Interest at Heart
So, while there are still a number of people in Ontario who feel that the gambling industry is not being regulated enough, these hefty fines handed out by the AGCO show otherwise. The AGCO clearly know that they have a responsibility to protect gamblers in Ontario, and they are doing their best to ensure that this is the case.
Once the different gambling companies get to grips with the strict regulations, we are pretty sure that the number of fines that they have to dish out will decrease. However, it is nice to see that AGCO are not being lenient and letting casinos, both land-based and online ones, off with just a slap on the wrist for any breaches of the regulation. This is something that we like to see because it shows that the AGCO mean business.
All the Sites We Promote Follow the Strict Regulations
We know that all of our readers only want to play casino games at sites that follow the regulations as this is the best way to ensure that you are safe when you are gambling. Thus, it is for this reason that we make sure that all of the sites that we promote on our Online casino Ontario have been following the strict rules and regulations that have been put in place by the AGCO.
If a site gets fined by the AGCO for breaching regulations, no matter what they are, we will stop promoting them until we are certain that they have got their act together and are doing everything that they should be doing.
Below we have listed some top online casinos for those from Ontario:
If you decide to open an account with any of these online casinos, or any of the other ones that you can find on our Ontario Online Casino page, we are pretty sure that you will have the type of online casino experience that you are looking for. This is because you will find a wide variety of games, both slots and table games, as well as plenty of banking options and quality customer support, which is always a must since this will decrease the risk of frustration if any problems pop up in the future.
Kayleigh reviews online casinos and sportsbooks while coordinating training initiatives for new recruits at Casimoose.ca. She excels at sharing her love for the iGaming industry and puts her past experience to good use. With a background working for the biggest gambling brands online and a strong analytical ability, Kayleigh developed a natural gift in breaking down each component of online casinos, betting sites as well as their offerings and hasn't looked back. Outside of Casimoose, she's a proud Ontarian with a love of sports and entertainment.