PointsBet Accepts Two-Day Ontario Suspension and Independent Audit

The proposed five-day suspension never took effect. PointsBet challenged it in February, and a Licence Appeal Tribunal hearing was set to begin on October 19.

Negotiations continued instead. By Tuesday morning, the two sides had a deal, and PointsBet withdrew its appeal. The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) confirmed the outcome to Canadian Gaming Business.

Five-Day Penalty Cut to Two Days

The proposed suspension has been shortened from five days to two. PointsBet must still close its Ontario gaming site for the agreed period.

There is another condition. The company has to commission an independent review of its betting controls, with both the auditor and the methodology approved by the AGCO. Any weaknesses found during that review must be corrected. An independent party will then check the corrective work.

The shutdown dates have not been announced. The AGCO has also not published a timetable for the audit or its estimated cost.

How the Porter Betting Case Reached PointsBet

Ontario began checking betting records in early 2024, after allegations involving Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter surfaced. Sportsbooks were asked to look back at their Porter markets and report any unusual activity. PointsBet’s first response was that it had not offered bets on him.

The issue returned in October 2025, following the release of a US indictment detailing a wider insider betting scheme. The AGCO contacted operators again. This time, PointsBet’s records showed that the company had accepted wagers on Porter during the games under investigation.

In its February 12 notice, the AGCO said the correction came 18 months after the first response. Having examined the betting records, it argued that suspicious activity should have been detected and reported much earlier.

PointsBet rejected the suggestion of a systemic compliance failure. Its February 26 statement described the inaccurate response as human error. The company said it had disclosed the correct information once the mistake was discovered and considered the proposed punishment disproportionate.

The settlement ends that dispute without a full tribunal hearing. It does not establish every allegation made in the original notice as a finding of fact.

Ontario’s First Temporary Operator Suspension

Ontario opened its regulated iGaming market in April 2022. The PointsBet suspension will be the first of its kind for a regulatory violation in that market.

The company had previously received monetary penalties for advertising-related breaches in 2022 and responsible gambling violations in 2023. Neither case required PointsBet to interrupt its gaming services.