AGCO Fines Casino Days for Misleading Players with Bonus Offer

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has fined one of its licensees over a bonus offer it deemed to be “deceptive.” To make matters worse, the offer allegedly put vulnerable players at risk.

Casino Days Allegedly Misled Consumers

According to its official announcement, the AGCO issued a CAD 54,000 monetary penalty to the parent company of Casino Days, Well Played Media, Unipessoal LDA. According to the regulator, one of Casino Days’ offers was deceptive and exposed players to unnecessary risk.

The AGCO learned of the bonus offer in question following a complaint from a player who allegedly had his winnings confiscated by the operator. That player insisted that the company withheld over $8,500 in winnings.

The AGCO, which investigated the matter, understood that Casino Days’ so-called welcome bonus promised new players up to CAD 2,000. However, qualifying for the bonus was much more difficult than one might have guessed. For example, customers had to deposit CAD 2,000 of their own money, wager CAD 70,000 (35 times the deposit) and keep each wager at or under CAD 2. To make matters worse, players had to complete all requirements within 7 days.

The AGCO analyzed the bonus and concluded that the average player would need to lose roughly CAD 3,640 in the span of a week to qualify for the bonus.

To top it all off, the AGCO learned that certain terms of this bonus offer were not clearly communicated and were “buried behind multiple links on the site.”

Casino Days Violated Multiple Rules

In Ontario, licensed operators must make sure that the terms of their bonus offers are clearly communicated and accessible with a single click. In addition to that, the Canadian province’s gambling rules state that operators must not offer bonuses that expose players to risk of financial, social or emotional harm and bonuses that cannot be reasonably attained without significant losses.

Since the AGCO concluded that Casino Days’ offer had violated these rules, the regulator opted to issue a CAD 54,000 fine to the operator. Casino Days can appeal the decision to the Licence Appeal Tribunal.

Player Protection Is a “Non-Negotiable Priority”

Karin Schnarr, the AGCO’s chief executive officer and registrar, commented on the matter, highlighting the importance of shielding players from harm. She said that player protection is a “non-negotiable priority” and that operators are therefore expected to be “ truthful and transparent about their promotions.”

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.

Karin Schnarr, CEO & registrar, AGCO

In other news, the Canadian Gaming Association (CGA) just teamed up with polling agency Ipsos to try and gauge the exact channelization rate in the Canadian provinces of Alberta and British Columbia.