Photo Credit: JossK / Shutterstock
The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), which is the sports betting regulator within the province, issued a $120,000 fine to Betty Gaming. The fine came after it was discovered that there had been underage users who had created accounts and deposited funds at Betty Gaming. It highlights how Ontario is taking a proactive approach to make sure age requirements are upheld, while also showing how age verification protocols should be enhanced.
Back in November 2025, the AGCO found out that Betty Gaming had an issue with Betty.ca, which is its Ontario platform. This was pertaining to age restriction controls, enabling nine users under 19 years old to create accounts, deposit funds, and place wagers. It was found that 14 more users signed up at the site, although they did not make a deposit.
The issue was that Betty.ca did not verify each player’s age, as all operators are required to do. This is why Betty Gaming was served with an Order of Monetary Penalty, giving them the right to appeal the action within 15 days to the Licence Appeal Tribunal.
Dr. Karin Schnarr, CEO and Registrar at the AGCO, stated that the legal age requirement is a “basic and important safeguard” and that registered operators are “responsible for making sure their systems work.” That’s why it was so important for the AGCO to come down hard on Betty Gaming for this error.
The AGCO aims to uphold industry standards, ensuring that age verification issues like this one with Betty Gaming don’t occur. That’s why they fined them $120,000, which was one of the largest they’ve ever given. To put it into context, here are some other fines given to operators by the AGCO:
Before the $120,000 fine to Betty Gaming, these were the largest fines ever given by the AGCO. Now, Betty Gaming is the third-heaviest fine levied by the AGCO on an operator.
The hefty consequence demonstrates how age verification violations are a serious issue that must be addressed appropriately.
The AGCO’s fine on Betty Gaming raises the question: how can operators strengthen their age verification so that it’s not so easily bypassed?
While every operator requires users to verify their identity by providing a photo of their government-issued ID like a driver’s license or passport alongside an accompanying selfie, this is only needed when it’s time to withdraw funds. That means that users are able to make a deposit without sending these documents.
As an additional safeguard, sportsbooks could potentially have users verify their accounts before a deposit is allowed. This is a simple solution that could prevent issues like the one we saw with Betty Gaming.
Loading …
