The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has taken unprecedented action against PointsBet Canada by issuing a suspension Notice of Proposed Order its iGaming registration for five days.
The proposed sanction stems from a “systemic failure” to monitor and report suspicious betting activity related to the 2024 NBA bet-rigging scandal involving former Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter.
Chronology of the Regulatory Breach
The AGCO’s investigation revealed that PointsBet initially denied offering wagers on the player when queried in March 2024. However, eighteen months later, the operator admitted that these bets were indeed available on its platform.
Subsequent data reviews confirmed that the betting patterns exhibited significant irregularities that should have been flagged by the operator’s internal monitoring systems at the time.
Repeated Compliance Issues
This latest move by the Ontario regulator follows a string of previous infractions by PointsBet Canada:
- 2022 Sanctions: Penalties were issued for violations related to advertising standards.
- 2023 Sanctions: The operator was penalized for breaches in responsible gambling protocols.
- Porter Case Context: Jontay Porter has since been banned for life from the NBA and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud as part of a larger insider betting scheme.
PointsBet Canada has characterized the proposed five-day suspension as “disproportionate,” citing human error during an organizational transition rather than a deliberate attempt to withhold information.
The company has expressed its intent to review all legal options, including an appeal to the independent Licence Appeal Tribunal. AGCO CEO Dr. Karin Schnarr reiterated that safeguarding the integrity of Ontario’s sports betting market remains a top priority.
