Sports betting in Ontario received a lot of interest from iGaming operators when it first became apparent that the province would launch safe, regulated online and land-based gambling.
Since then, the province has 46 registered gambling operators and 27 internet sportsbooks – overseen by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) which has placed rules and protections in place to protect consumers from harm.
The AGCO announced that Kindred Group owned Unibet was fined $48,000 by the AGCO for violating the rules on inducement and advertising.
The offense: Advertising (in May) which highlighter the brand’s “generous welcome offers”.
Gambling providers in the province are not allowed to discuss their bonuses, credits, sign-up incentives, etc., according to the AGCO. If a client opts into direct advertising, this information can be delivered to them directly or put on their website, but it cannot be made available to the general public.
We expect all registered operators to attain and maintain the high standards of responsible gambling, player protection, and game integrity.
Tom Mungham – Chief Executive Officer and Registrar of the AGCO
Unibet is not the first sportsbook to incur a sanction from the AGCO; in May, BetMGM, PointsBet, and DraftKings all received similar financial punishments, and in June, DraftKings was fined $100,000 for deceptive advertising.
According to a tweet from BetMGM, ‘your chances of winning increase with the amount of money you wager’. The company received a $48,000 fine.
Train posters from PointsBet advertised the availability of free games. There was a $30,000 fine involved in this instance.
The biggest fine was incurred by DraftKings for promoting some odds that had been increased to +200. Mungham added:
“The AGCO will continue to monitor these gaming sites’ activities, and ensure they are meeting their obligations under Ontario’s Gaming Control Act and the Standards.”
The Ontario Licence Appeal Tribunal (which is a separate entity from the AGCO), will hear Unibet’s appeal.
An experienced iGaming commentator and analyst based in New York City - Jenny reports on regulation and gambling industry news and events.