AGCO to suspend PointsBet’s license for failing to flag suspicious Porter NBA bets
Ontario regulator says the operator took 18 months to confirm wagers were taken on the now-banned Toronto Raptors center
The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has issued a notice of proposed order to suspend PointsBet Canada’s igaming license for an alleged failure to report suspicious bets involving disgraced NBA player Jontay Porter.
The regulator is to suspend the operator’s registration for five days for what it says was an alleged “systemic failure to properly monitor, detect, document, and report suspicious betting patterns.”
AGCO said the decision was a “first for Ontario’s regulated igaming industry.” The regulated Ontario market went live in April 2022.
The matter relates to a “bet-rigging scheme”, the AGCO noted in a statement issued today, February 12, that has been the focus of a major criminal investigation in the US.
Porter was banned from the NBA for life in 2024 for violating the league’s anti-gambling laws.
He’s also awaiting sentence after pleading guilty to a felony charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
Back in early 2024, officials at the regulator ordered all sportsbooks regulated in the province to confirm whether they had offered bets on the Toronto Raptors player and if they had spotted any suspicious wagering activity.
“After a significant delay,” AGCO said, PointsBet told the AGCO that no such bets had been offered on its site and app.
When, in 2025, the US Department of Justice indictment showed the Porter case was part of a broader betting scheme, all licensees in Ontario were asked to reconfirm whether any red flags were raised on Porter-related markets.
However, this time – 18 months after the initial response – Pointsbet acknowledged to the regulator that betting had been offered to Ontarians on Porter in the games affected.
AGCO reviewed PointsBet’s betting data and confirmed “the indications of suspicious betting that was central to the scheme uncovered in 2024.”
“These wagers should have been detected and reported at the time the betting occurred,” AGCO said.
Karin Schnarr, CEO and registrar at the regulator, said: “Safeguarding the integrity of sports and Ontario’s sports betting market is a top priority for the AGCO.
“We require all operators to have robust systems and comprehensive staff training in place to reliably detect and report suspicious activity.
“Our regulatory framework is clear – operators must be equipped to detect and effectively respond to integrity risks, and we will take appropriate action when these standards are not met.”
In May 2022, PointsBet was sanctioned by AGCO with a financial penalty for what were described as advertising and inducement-related violations.
The Australia-headquartered operator, which sold the US-facing part of its business to Fanatics Betting and Gaming for $225m in 2024, was also fined in November 2023 for violations of Ontario’s responsible gambling standards.
PointsBet was the subject of a drawn-out M&A tug of war last year, with Japanese conglomerate MIXI eventually acquiring a majority stake in the business.
Andrew Catterall stepped up from CEO of PointsBet’s Australian arm to CEO of the whole business, effective from 1 February, replacing co-founder Sam Swanell.