The Registrar of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has issued CA$100,000 (US$74,387) in penalties to Apollo Entertainment for failing to meet Ontario’s responsible gambling requirements.
The alleged violations of the responsible gambling provisions in the Registrar’s standards for internet gaming that have been breached are: failing to intervene with players who may be experiencing gambling harms; failing to implement gambling limit tools and a voluntary self-exclusion programme.
In addition, the company has also allegedly violated provisions regarding its employees understanding the importance of responsible gambling and ensuring they are equipped to assist players who are experiencing gambling-related harms.
In regard to its failure to intervene with players experiencing gambling-related harms, one player accumulated over CA$2m in losses in under four months without receiving any interventions from the operator in that period.
Reportedly, Apollo has been responsive to the AGCO’s regulatory findings since being advised of these issues and has already taken action to address the shortcomings identified by the AGCO.
Apollo does have the right to appeal this decision. A registered operator served with a Notice of Monetary Penalty by the AGCO has the right to appeal the Registrar’s action to the Licence Appeal Tribunal (LAT), which is an adjudicative tribunal independent of the AGCO and part of Tribunals Ontario.
Tom Mungham, CEO and Registrar at AGCO, commented: “The AGCO’s goal is to ensure Ontarians can enjoy online gambling on sites that operate fairly, responsibly and provide important player protections.
“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.”
