AGCO orders $70,000 penalty on Booming Games for undermining player protection with prohibited auto-play feature

TORONTO, Aug. 20, 2026 /CNW/ -- The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has ordered $70,000 in monetary penalties against Booming Games (Malta) Limited after prohibited auto-play functionality was made available to Ontario players on multiple slot games for several months.

Auto-play allows a player to automatically play an online slot machine without the player having to manually initiate each spin. Ontario prohibits auto-play on slot games because removing the need for a player to actively initiate each wager can reduce opportunities to pause, assess their play and decide whether they want to continue gambling.

Requiring players to manually start each spin creates a deliberate pause between wagers. This pause can help maintain player awareness and control, reduce prolonged and uninterrupted play, and reduce the risk of gambling-related harm.

The AGCO's investigation found that Booming Games failed to properly configure, test and monitor certain games before and after they launched in Ontario. As a registered gaming supplier, Booming Games is responsible for ensuring its games comply with Ontario's standards before they are made available to players and throughout their lifecycle.

This issue was identified through the AGCO's proactive and targeted compliance efforts. The AGCO notified the impacted igaming operator and the auto-play functionality for the affected games was disabled.

Ontario has some of the toughest game-design standards in North America. These standards are designed to reduce the potential for excessive intensity, speed and continuity of play and to support informed player decision-making. They include an outright prohibition on auto-play, minimum time requirements between spins, and a prohibition on game features that can disguise losses as wins through celebratory sounds or other misleading feedback.

These requirements reflect Ontario's approach of embedding player protections directly into the design of online games, addressing features that can increase the risk of gambling-related harm before they reach players.

A supplier served with an Order of Monetary Penalty has the right to request a hearing before the Licence Appeal Tribunal (LAT) within 15 days. LAT is an adjudicative body that is part of Tribunals Ontario and independent of the AGCO.

Quote

"Ontario's game design standards are fundamental player-protection measures built into the regulated igaming market – they are not optional technical requirements. Registered suppliers must have effective controls in place to prevent prohibited features from reaching Ontario players. When those safeguards are not respected, the AGCO will take regulatory action."

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

Additional Information

The Registrar imposed monetary penalties totaling $70,000 against Booming Games (Malta) Limited for violations of the Gaming Control Act, 1992 and its regulations in respect of the following contraventions of the Registrar's Standards for Internet Gaming:

• Contrary to Requirement 2 of Standard 2.16, the supplier provided games that included auto-play features for slots.
• Contrary to Requirement 3 of Standard 4.09, the Supplier failed to perform monitoring and testing throughout the life of the gaming system and gaming supplies, with the result that the gaming system and/or gaming supplies were not demonstrated to be operating as approved.

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]