Apollo Entertainment, which runs several licensed Ontario online casinos, is the latest operator to be fined for alleged violations of gambling standards.
This latest situation revolves around Ontario’s responsible gambling requirements. The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario slapped a $100,000 Canadian fine on the company for, specifically:
- Failing to conduct required interventions with players who might be experiencing gambling-related harms. This included the case of a player who lost over $2 million CAD in under four months without receiving interventions from the gaming site operator during that period.
- Failing to implement an adequate voluntary self-exclusion program, as well as providing insufficient tools for players to set financial and time-based gambling limits (i.e., loss and deposit limits).
- Failing to ensure their employees understood the importance of responsible gambling, including assisting players who may be experiencing gambling related harms.
OntarioBets.com works only with legal, regulated Ontario sports betting and iGaming sites, such as Apollo, which fall under the AGCO’s auspices.
AGCO’s CEO Explains Fine
“The AGCO’s goal is to ensure Ontarians can enjoy online gambling on sites that operate fairly, responsibly and provide important player protections,” AGCO chief executive officer Tom Mungham said in a statement. “All registered operators have an obligation to proactively monitor patron play for signs of high-risk gambling and must take appropriate actions to intervene and reduce the potential for gambling-related harm.”
According to an AGCO statement, Apollo Entertainment has been “responsive” to the regulatory findings after being advised by the AGCO and has “already taken significant steps to strengthen the control environment on its sites to address the shortcomings identified by the AGCO.”
Apollo Entertainment Ltd. operates a number of licensed Ontario casino apps websites in the province – Captain Cooks, Golden Tiger, Grand Mondial and Yukon Gold, to name a few.
Since the regulated Ontario iGaming market went live in April 2022, the AGCO has issued monetary penalties against operators several times, including $48,000 against Unibet for alleged advertising and inducement infractions; $100,000 against DraftKings Canada for alleged advertising and inducement infractions; $48,000 against BetMGM Canada and $30,000 against PointsBet Canada, both for alleged advertising and inducement infractions.
Like the others, Apollo Entertainment Ltd. can appeal the Registrar’s penalty.
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