Ontario has fined Booming Games (Malta) Limited C$70,000 after prohibited auto-play functionality was made available to players on multiple slot games for several months. Auto-play lets a player keep an online slot spinning without manually starting each wager, and Ontario bars it in its game-design rules.
According to the AGCO, the issue was found through proactive and targeted compliance efforts. The commission said Booming Games failed to properly configure, test and monitor certain games before and after they launched in Ontario, and the affected operator disabled the feature after being notified.
Ontario’s standards require a deliberate pause between wagers so players must commit to each spin individually. The regulator says that pause can help maintain awareness and control, reduce prolonged and uninterrupted play and lower the risk of gambling-related harm. Dr. Karin Schnarr, the commission’s chief executive and registrar, called the rules “fundamental player-protection measures” and said they are “not optional technical requirements”.
As covered in July and earlier this month, Ontario also fined Great Canadian Entertainment and Betty Gaming over other compliance failures.
The order was issued under the Gaming Control Act, 1992 and the Registrar’s Standards for Internet Gaming. A supplier served with an order can ask for a hearing before the independent Licence Appeal Tribunal within 15 days.
