PointsBet Canada agrees to 48-hour Ontario shutdown and audit in Porter case

PointsBet Canada has agreed to a 48-hour shutdown of its Ontario iGaming platform and an independent audit to settle a dispute with the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario. The settlement ends a proceeding that began in February when the AGCO proposed a five-day suspension. The two-day suspension replaces that longer penalty, though the specific dates for the shutdown have not been set. The agreement also requires PointsBet to undergo a financial and operational review by an auditor approved by the regulator.

The audit methodology must also receive AGCO approval. PointsBet must correct any deficiencies identified in the audit, and a subsequent independent review will confirm the fixes have been made. The regulator said the settlement brings to a close a dispute over the operator's handling of wagers linked to Jontay Porter. The former Toronto Raptors player was banned for life by the NBA in 2024 after an investigation found he disclosed confidential health information to a bettor and limited his own participation in games for betting purposes.

The AGCO's investigation centred on whether PointsBet had detected and reported unusual betting activity involving Porter. The regulator asked Ontario sportsbooks to confirm if they had offered markets on the player or spotted suspicious patterns. PointsBet initially responded that it had not accepted bets on Porter. After a U.S. Department of Justice indictment was published, the AGCO sought further confirmation, and PointsBet then acknowledged it had taken wagers on the player.

The regulator said these wagers should have been detected and reported at the time. A review of the operator's data later confirmed warning signs that should have been caught. In February, PointsBet said it was "disappointed" with the AGCO's initial decision to seek a suspension. The company attributed its first incorrect answer to human error during an organizational transition. PointsBet contested the proposed five-day suspension and requested a hearing before the Licence Appeal Tribunal on February 26. The operator argued it had supplied accurate information promptly once it found the relevant data and had cooperated with the investigation. This marks the second and third sanctions for PointsBet from the AGCO, following penalties in 2022 over advertising and in late 2023 for responsible gambling breaches.