The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has slapped a CA$70,000 (US$50,947) fine on Booming Games (Malta) Limited. This penalty arises after the commission found that several slot games supplied by the company featured a prohibited auto-play function, accessible to players in Ontario for an extended period.
The fine was announced on Thursday, with the AGCO revealing that they identified the violation through proactive compliance initiatives. Following the discovery, the AGCO ordered the immediate disabling of the auto-play feature from the affected games.
Auto-play enables players to spin continually without any input, a feature expressly forbidden by Ontario’s gaming design regulations. The AGCO underscored concerns that it may encourage excessive gambling as it reduces players' chances to pause and evaluate their session.
An investigation by the AGCO determined that Booming Games did not adequately configure, test, or monitor certain games prior to and following their launch in the Ontario market. The violations include:
1. Providing slot games with an auto-play feature (Requirement 2 of Standard 2.16).
2. Failing to maintain ongoing monitoring and testing of gaming systems and supplies (Requirement 3 of Standard 4.09).
This fine was issued under the Gaming Control Act, 1992. AGCO CEO and registrar, Dr. Karin Schnarr, stressed the seriousness of the breach, stating, “Ontario’s game design standards are fundamental player-protection measures built into the regulated iGaming market – they are not optional technical requirements. Registered suppliers must have effective controls in place to prevent prohibited features from reaching Ontario players. When those safeguards are not respected, the AGCO will take regulatory action.”
Since the inception of its regulated iGaming sector, Ontario has implemented some of the toughest gaming standards in North America, including a ban on auto-play, mandatory minimum intervals between spins, and restrictions on features that might misrepresent losses as wins.
The province supports this framework, as approximately 84% of its population participated in regulated gaming last year. Gross gambling revenue (GGR) from April 2024 to March 2025 reached CA$3.20 billion, representing a 32% increase compared to the previous year.
Following a monetary penalty, the Licence Appeal Tribunal, an independent authority under Tribunals Ontario, grants registered suppliers a 15-day window to appeal the decision.
