The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has issued a $54,000 monetary penalty alleging Well Played Media, Unipessoal LDA promoted a deceptive bonus on its Casino Days website. The bonus offer is alleged to have encouraged high-risk behavior and failed to properly disclose key terms.

The AGCO launched an investigation triggered by a player who complained that more than $8500 in winnings had been confiscated by Casino Days. The investigation reviewed a so-called “welcome bonus” that promised new players up to $2000.

However, to qualify for the full bonus amount, players had to:

Deposit $2000 of their own money;

Wager $70,000 (35 times the deposit);

Keep each wager at or under $5; and

Complete all wagering requirements within 7 days.

Investigators also found that certain terms of the bonus offer were difficult to find, buried behind multiple links on the site.

AGCO’s analysis showed that the average player would first lose $3640 trying to earn the $2000 bonus.

According to Ontario’s igaming rules, registered operators must not offer bonus promotions that encourage harmful gambling behavior and fail to disclose key conditions appropriately. Further, operators are not permitted to entice players with bonuses that cannot reasonably be attained without significant gambling losses.

These rules are in place to protect players and support a safe, regulated market—one that stands in contrast to the risks of unregulated gambling sites.

An igaming operator served with an Order of Monetary Penalty by the AGCO Registrar has the right to appeal the Registrar’s decision to the Licence Appeal Tribunal (LAT), an adjudicative tribunal that is part of Tribunals Ontario and independent of the AGCO.

“Player protection is a non-negotiable priority for the AGCO. We expect operators to be truthful and transparent about their promotions, and we also require them to ensure that those promotions do not encourage reckless or harmful patterns of play. An offer that requires a player to sustain substantial losses for a perceived benefit is not a fair offer. This penalty sends a clear signal that we will not hesitate to take action against operators who fail to meet their obligations to protect Ontario players,” Dr. Karin Schnarr, Chief Executive Officer and Registrar of AGCO.

Random State (“RS”), the Swedish studio behind next‑generation iLottery and multiplayer bingo content, has been granted a Gaming‑Related Supplier – Manufacturer licence by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO). The approval, effective 14 May 2025, authorises RS to offer its games and platform services to licensed operators across Ontario.

“Securing the Ontario licence is a milestone our entire team has worked tirelessly toward,” said Adam Fonsica, Co‑Founder & COO at Random State. “Ontario not only validates the quality and integrity of our technology; it provides a launchpad for our broader North‑American expansion. We can’t wait to introduce our eInstant titles and multiplayer bingo hub to Ontario players later this year, together with a soon‑to‑be‑announced operator.”

The licence clears the way for RS to roll out its full product portfolio in Ontario:

Interactive eInstants – instant‑win games that re‑imagine traditional lottery mechanics with modern gameplay and rich visuals.

Multiplayer bingo – a complete suite of 90-, 75-, 80/60/40‑ and 30‑ball variants, featuring progressive jackpots, Pot Booster and real‑time chat hosting.

Turn‑key iGaming platform – advanced Player Account Management (PAM), certified RNG, gamification engine and a WYSIWYG game‑configuration tool that lets operators launch new games in minutes.

Random State expects its first Ontario go‑live in Q3 2025, delivering both eInstants and multiplayer bingo on day one.

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has contacted more than a dozen traditional and digital media platforms, calling on them to stop promoting unregulated online gambling and sports betting sites like Bodog to Ontario residents.

Operated by Il Nido Inc., Bodog is an offshore operator actively targeting Ontarians by advertising on popular traditional and digital media platforms. Despite blocking players in Quebec and Nova Scotia from accessing their unregulated gambling and sports betting sites, Bodog continues to allow Ontarians to access these sites while advertising heavily on traditional and digital media platforms targeting Ontarians.

Under the Gaming Control Act, 1992, Bodog and other online gambling sites are required to register with the AGCO and sign an operating agreement with iGaming Ontario in order to operate in Ontario. Ontario’s regulated igaming framework requires operators to meet comprehensive requirements related to game integrity, player protection, anti-money laundering and information privacy. Bodog’s efforts to direct Ontarians to unregulated gambling undermine player protection and other safeguards which exist in the regulated market, as well as fair market principles.

By airing ads for Bodog and other unregulated operators, legitimate media platforms are providing a veneer of legitimacy to unregulated and high-risk sites and creating confusion for Ontarians. The AGCO is therefore calling on these platforms to take a stand against the promotion of unregulated online gambling sites and remove the ads. By doing so, broadcasters and digital media companies will help reduce the risks these sites pose to Ontarians and support the long-term sustainability of Ontario’s regulated igaming market – all key objectives of the AGCO.

The AGCO will continue to work with its partners – both in Ontario and internationally – to combat these unregulated sites and protect the public.

“The AGCO is committed to protecting Ontario players and ensuring they have the safest experience by playing on regulated igaming sites. By refusing to carry advertising from unregulated and high-risk operators like Bodog, media organizations can exemplify social responsibility and play an important role in protecting Ontarians and supporting Ontario’s regulated market.”  – Dr. Karin Schnarr, Chief Executive Officer and Registrar, AGCO.