PointsBet Canada will serve a reduced two-day suspension in Ontario after it reached a settlement with the provincial gambling regulator over alleged violations relating to bets on banned NBA player Jontay Porter.
After the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) announced in February 2026 its intention to suspend the operator for five days, PointsBet appealed the decision later that month.
Monday, Oct. 19 was supposed to mark the start of a five-day hearing in the independent Licence Appeal Tribunal (LAT), but the sides reached an agreement to avoid a full debrief.
The reduced suspension constitutes the first time the AGCO has temporarily shut down an iGaming operator as a penalty for a regulatory violation.
PointsBet withdraws appeal in exchange for reduced suspension
Counsel for both parties negotiated through the weekend and all day Monday to come to an agreement. The tribunal announced upon reconvening on Tuesday morning that the sides reached a deal and PointsBet officially filed a notice of withdrawal.
“The AGCO and PointsBet Canada have reached a settlement resolving the regulatory proceeding arising from the AGCO’s February 2026 Notice of Proposed Order,” an AGCO spokesperson told Canadian Gaming Business. “Under the terms of the settlement, PointsBet has agreed to a two-day suspension of its Ontario gaming site.”
“In addition, to enhance its control environment, PointsBet has agreed, as part of this resolution that it will undertake an independent audit using an auditor and audit methodology approved by the AGCO and commits to addressing any findings. The remediation will be independently validated.
“This settlement concludes the regulatory proceeding.”
Canadian Gaming Business also reached out to PointsBet Canada for comment but has not heard back at the time of publishing.
What did AGCO allege happened at PointsBet Canada?
The AGCO announced in February 2026 its intention to suspend the operator for five days, alleging that it failed to properly detect and report suspicious betting patterns related to former Toronto Raptors two-way player Porter.
The NBA banned Porter for life in April 2024 after a league investigation found he provided insider information to other bettors regarding his health status and manipulated his own performances to ensure that player prop bets hit the mark. He subsequently pleaded guilty to the federal U.S. charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
Ontario’s gambling regulator claimed it uncovered a “systemic failure” by PointsBet to spot suspicious activity related to wagering on the performances of Porter. The AGCO alleged that although the operator first told the commission that it had not identified any such bets, it acknowledged 18 months later that it had indeed offered betting on Porter in the games linked to the scandal.
PointsBet quickly confirmed it would appeal the punishment. A spokesperson for the operator told Canadian Gaming Business in February that the issues were caused by human error and that PointsBet disclosed the information immediately after discovering it and cooperated with the investigation.
“We respectfully believe the proposed sanction is disproportionate given the circumstances, our subsequent corrective actions, and our strong compliance record,” the spokesperson added at the time.
PointsBet expects to enter Alberta before end of 2026
Australian company PointsBet has offered online sports betting and online casino gaming in Ontario’s regulated market since 2022. Also active as a sportsbook in its home country, Ontario is the only jurisdiction in which it also has an online casino platform.
The operator, which is now owned by an Australian subsidiary of Japanese entertainment firm MIXI, is also expected to launch in Alberta’s new regulated iGaming market soon. PointsBet was one of the first iGaming brands to register with Alberta Gaming, Liquor, and Cannabis (AGLC) in early 2026.
However, although it began the licensing process months ago and started pre-registering customers in the province, PointsBet has yet to join the 30+ operators and 50+ licensed sites that have started taking bets there.
In its annual report published in June, the company said that it expects to go live in Alberta before the end of 2026. Canadian Gaming Business understands there may be an update in the next couple of weeks.
PointsBet Canada’s Head of Casino Brooke Hilton said at SBC Summit in Lisbon in September that the operator made a conscious decision not to rush its Alberta entry. “[Alberta] has had a healthy grey market for the better part of the last two or three decades, so delaying another three months isn’t going to make or break you. We want to make sure we have the most competitive product available.”
PointsBet said in its annual report that its Canadian (meaning Ontario-only, for now) business operated at a A$14m net EBITDA loss for the period spanning July 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026, despite Canadian revenue growing 13% year over year. PointsBet will report its full H1 2027 results on Oct. 30.
