AGCO fines Unibet for alleged advertising and inducement infractions

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) issued a resolution on August 25, in which it announced a monetary penalty for Unibet betting operator for violations of the advertising rules. The company will now be obliged to pay $48,000.

Despite that, Unibet still have an opportunity to appeal the charge. In case this happens, Ontario's Licence Appeal Tribunal (independent of the AGCO) will be handling the lawsuit.

What is Unibet accused of

In May, the bookmaker launched an advertising campaign, in which it was constantly noting its “generous welcome offers”. AGCO strictly forbids the operators to post this kind of information in the ads. The sportsbook may only inform its customers about that on its own resources, or send this information directly to the clients (after they opt into direct advertising). However, Unibet ignored these requirements.

Tom Mungham, AGCO’s Chief Executive Officer and Registrar, said that the organisation expects all the operators to follow the high standards of player protection, game integrity and responsible gambling.

Previously charged bookmakers

Online sports-betting became legal in Ontario in April. Unibet is the fourth sportsbook fined during that period, following PointsBet, DraftKings and BetMGM.

BetMGM got a $48,000 fine for inappropriate social media activity, calling on their customers to spend more money on betting. PointsBet received a $30,000 penalty for promoting free bets. DraftKings took a $100,000 fine for advertising the odds boost for certain events.

Mungham added that the AGCO will surely continue to watch the bookmakers' activity to make sure they follow the local rules.

Source: https://www.agco.ca. Article: AGCO issues $48,000 in monetary penalties to Unibet ON Inc. for alleged advertising and inducement infractions, 2022.