AGCO fines supplier for auto-play feature breach in Ontario slots

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has imposed a penalty of CA$70,000 (US$50,947) on Booming Games (Malta) Limited.

The fine comes after discovering that several slot titles supplied by the company included a prohibited auto-play feature that was accessible to Ontario players for several months.

As announced on Thursday, the regulator detected the violation through “proactive and targeted compliance efforts”. They ordered the affected games’ auto-play functionality to be disabled immediately after notifying the operator.

Auto-play, which allows continuous consecutive spins without player interaction, is explicitly banned under Ontario’s game-design standards. 

The AGCO stated that this feature may increase the risk of prolonged gambling and potential harm by diminishing opportunities for players to pause and reassess their gameplay. 

Investigation findings 

The AGCO’s investigation concluded that Booming Games “failed to properly configure, test and monitor certain games before and after they launched in Ontario”. The breach involves contraventions of the Registrar’s Standards for Internet Gaming, particularly:

• Supplying slot games with auto-play (Requirement 2 of Standard 2.16)
• Failing to perform ongoing monitoring and testing of gaming systems and supplies (Requirement 3 of Standard 4.09)

The penalty was issued under the authority of the Gaming Control Act, 1992.

Dr Karin Schnarr, AGCO’s CEO and registrar, emphasised the gravity of the breach, saying: “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.”

Ontario’s stringent game-design regime

Since launching its legal iGaming sector, the province has adopted some of the strictest standards found in North America. These include an outright ban on auto-play, minimum time intervals between spins and prohibitions on features that can disguise losses as wins.

The legal framework has been embraced by the province – data from the Commission last year showed that almost 84% of people play on regulated sites.

Indeed, from April 2024 to March 2025, gross gambling revenue (GGR) was at CA$3.20 billion generated and 32% growth over the previous year. 

The Licence Appeal Tribunal , an independent body within Tribunals Ontario , allows registered suppliers up to 15 days to request a hearing following a monetary penalty order.

Kathryn Evans

Kathryn covers bitesize breaking news with a primary focus on EMEA and US legislation. A proud North Walian, fluent Welsh speaker and lifelong Wrexham FC fan – long before Hollywood came calling.