AGCO fines Great Canadian Entertainment $120,000 for using unauthorized gaming system software at four casinos

TORONTO, June 29, 2026 /CNW/ - The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has ordered monetary penalties totalling $120,000 against Great Canadian Entertainment (GCE) for using unauthorized gaming system software at multiple Ontario casino sites, a serious compliance failure that bypassed requirements designed to protect the integrity of casino gaming.

Gaming equipment and systems are central to casino operations. They process payments and wagers, support slot-game play, and help maintain controls that protect the integrity, safety and security of the gaming environment. When these systems are used or operated without required testing, monitoring and approval, it weakens safeguards designed to detect and prevent unlawful conduct, including money laundering, and can undermine public confidence in Ontario's regulated casino sector.

The AGCO reviewed 40 instances in which revoked or unapproved bill validator software had been installed across four casino sites between February 20 and March 15, 2025. Bill validators are components within gaming machines that accept and process cash and help support anti-money laundering controls.

The AGCO's Standards for Gaming require gaming equipment and software to be tested and approved before being deployed in casinos. Bill validators verify the authenticity and value of cash inserted into electronic gaming machines and are an important safeguard. That is why these systems must undergo rigorous testing and approval to confirm they operate as intended, perform critical functions reliably and are authorized before being introduced into a live casino environment.

Casino operators are responsible for ensuring that changes to gaming systems are properly reviewed, tested and authorized before implementation. Using unapproved software in a live casino environment is a serious compliance failure.

A casino operator served with an Order of Monetary Penalty has the right to appeal the Registrar's action within 15 days to the Licence Appeal Tribunal (LAT), an adjudicative body that is part of Tribunals Ontario and independent of the AGCO.

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"The AGCO requires casino operators to protect the integrity of their gaming systems by making sure they are independently tested, approved and operating as intended. When unauthorized software is used in a live casino environment, it bypasses critical safeguards that are meant to uphold the integrity of gaming and the public's confidence in the system. The AGCO will continue to hold all casino operators accountable for meeting Ontario's high standards of gaming system integrity."

Dr. Karin Schnarr, Registrar and Chief Executive Officer, AGCO

About the AGCO

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) is a provincial regulatory agency that oversees the alcohol, cannabis, gaming and horse racing sectors in Ontario. The AGCO is committed to protecting the public interest through a modern, risk-based regulatory framework that emphasizes compliance, integrity and public safety.

SOURCE Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario

Media contact: AGCO Media Relations, [email protected]