PointsBet Canada has requested a hearing before the independent Licence Appeal Tribunal to contest the five-day suspension of its iGaming registration by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO).
The AGCO originally moved to suspend PointsBet Canada’s iGaming registration on February 12, alleging the operator failed to report suspicious betting patterns that were related to the investigation of former NBA player Jontay Porter.
In March 2024, Porter was found to have shared confidential injury information with gamblers, and would then place bets against his own team as well as over/unders for his point total, rebounds and fellow statistics.
As a result of the match-fixing allegations, Porter was given a lifetime ban from the NBA, and eventually plead guilty to a charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in July.
Soon after the investigation was first introduced, the AGCO requested all Ontario-regulated sportsbooks to confirm whether it had offered bets on Porter or if any suspicious betting activity was found in relation. Following a “significant delay,” PointsBet advised the AGCO it had not offered any bets on Porter leading up to the suspension.
However, the public release of a US Department of Justice indictment forced the AGCO to once again confirm with Ontario operators whether any suspicious betting had occurred on Porter markets. 18 months after stating it never provided bets on the former NBA player, PointsBet acknowledged it offered such wagers for the first time.
PointsBet believes the five-day suspension is “disproportionate to the isolated matter in question,” which the operator said was caused by “human error” rather than a systematic failure or an intent to withhold information.
According to PointsBet Canada, the operator “immediately” disclosed accurate data to the AGCO upon discovery and has “cooperated fully” with the regulator throughout Porter’s investigation.
"We have a strong compliance record in Ontario and remain fully committed to the highest standards of integrity and player protection," PointsBet Canada CEO Scott Vanderwel said.
"We look forward to presenting our case at the Tribunal."
PointsBet Canada confirmed further updates will be released as the matter progresses, but the operator was previously sanctioned by the AGCO in May 2022 for advertising and inducement-related violations, as well as November 2023 for violations of Ontario’s responsible gambling standards.
The AGCO amended its Registrar’s Standards for Gaming: Lottery Sector on February 3 to introduce greater flexibility in how self-serve lottery terminals are monitored across the province
