PointsBet Canada is pushing back against Ontario’s gaming watchdog after regulators moved to suspend the company’s online betting registration for five days.
The operator confirmed Thursday (February 26) that it has formally asked the independent Licence Appeal Tribunal to review the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario’s decision and halt the proposed suspension while the case is heard.
The dispute stems from a February 12 notice in which the AGCO said it intended to temporarily suspend PointsBet’s iGaming registration. Regulators allege the company failed to properly identify and report suspicious wagers connected to a 2024 NBA betting scandal involving former Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter. That broader matter is now part of criminal investigations in the United States.
According to our reporting, the AGCO concluded that PointsBet did not escalate unusual betting activity quickly enough, a lapse the regulator argues undermines safeguards designed to protect the integrity of sports wagering in Ontario’s fast-growing online market.
PointsBet, however, says the regulator’s proposed penalty goes too far.
In a new statement, the company characterized the issue as a single, inadvertent mistake rather than a systemic breakdown in compliance. Executives say the error has already been addressed and that the operator worked cooperatively with the AGCO throughout its review.
Scott Vanderwel, the company’s chief executive officer, said PointsBet has “a strong compliance record in Ontario” and reiterated the operator’s commitment to integrity standards and player protections. He added that the company is prepared to make its case before the tribunal.
How the PointsBet Ontario suspension unfolded
The AGCO’s move is seen as one of the rare instances in which Ontario’s regulator has sought to temporarily suspend a licensed operator, underscoring the seriousness with which it treats reporting obligations tied to suspicious betting patterns.
Industry observers note that operators have a 15-day window to appeal such orders, putting PointsBet’s filing within the required timeframe. The tribunal’s eventual ruling could shape how aggressively regulators in Canada, and potentially other jurisdictions, enforce compliance rules linked to unusual wagering activity.
At the same time, analysts point out that the proposed five-day suspension would apply only to PointsBet’s Ontario operations. The company’s broader corporate strategy appears unchanged.
We previously reported that PointsBet has already begun the registration process to enter Alberta’s newly regulated online gambling market, signaling that it continues to pursue expansion opportunities even as it fights the Ontario action.
For now, the focus shifts to the Licence Appeal Tribunal, which will review arguments from both the operator and the regulator.
Featured image: PointsBet via press release / Canva
The post PointsBet Canada appeals Ontario regulator over five-day suspension tied to NBA appeared first on ReadWrite.
This articles is written by : Nermeen Nabil Khear Abdelmalak
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