The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario has fined the Rideau Carleton Casino more than $227,000 for what they describe as dozens of alleged regulatory violations. The company will have the right to appeal the decision at the Licence Appeal Tribunal, which is an independent body from the AGCO.
According to the AGCO, the operator had provided advertising and marketing materials to individuals who had already self-excluded and failed to implement and abide by the necessary anti-money laundering policies. The Rideau Carleton had also failed to address matters put forward by internal auditors and protect gaming systems and data from security vulnerabilities in accordance with the standards put forward by the AGCO.
Full List of Violations
- Providing advertising and marketing materials to Ontario individuals who had already self-excluded from gambling activities at the casino.
- Failing to implement and enforce required anti-money laundering policies on multiple occasions.
- Not addressing matters which were put forward by internal auditors in a timely manner.
- Failing to protect gaming systems and data from security vulnerabilities in accordance with the standards used by the AGCO.
- Not providing staff with adequate training for anti money laundering and protection of data.
In a statement to the press, casino officials have said that many of the issues have been addressed and corrected. It is still unclear if the brand will be disputing any of the AGCO claims at the Licence Appeal Tribunal. It seems unlikely given that the company has already owned up to many of the issues raised.
AGCO Keeping Market in Check
With the recent addition of online igaming in April of 2022, the AGCO are not only regulating the brick-and-mortar gaming industry, but also the province’s online gaming market. The AGCO has already fined many top online sportsbooks which include DraftKings, BetMGM and PointsBet.
BetMGM got a CA$48,000 fine earlier this year for failing to comply with Standard 2.04 and 2.05 of the by-laws.PointsBet Canada also took a monetary penalty in the size of CA$30,000 for a breach of Standard 2.05. DraftKings took the biggest fine of the three at $100,000 for breaching Standard 2.05, which prohibits the advertising of inducements, bonuses, or credits, except when a user is on the operator’s direct website or has received active player consent.
It seems that the AGCO will continue to lay down the law in attempts to keep the Ontario betting market free of overly promotional material. Expect more fines to come through and more clarity to the rules to form in the coming months.
