AGCO Fines Booming Games $70K Over Prohibited Auto-Play Feature

Booming Games (Malta) Limited has been hit with $70,000 in monetary penalties by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) after prohibited auto-play functionality was available to Ontario players on multiple slot games for several months.

Auto-play allows someone to play an online slot machine automatically without manually initiating each spin.

Ontario’s ban on auto-play is intended to ensure players remain actively engaged in each wagering decision, rather than allowing bets to continue automatically without repeated player input.

Auto-Play Available for Months

The deliberate pause between wagers helps to maintain player awareness and control, reducing the risk of potential gambling-related harm that uninterrupted play could bring.

“Ontario’s game design standards are fundamental player-protection measures built into the regulated iGaming market – they are not optional technical requirements,” said Dr. Karin Schnarr, chief executive officer (CEO) and registrar, AGCO. 

AGCO Cites Control Failures

“Registered suppliers must have effective controls in place to prevent prohibited features from reaching Ontario players. When those safeguards are not respected, the AGCO will take regulatory action.”

In a statement, the AGCO said Booming Games failed to properly configure, test and monitor certain games before and after they launched in the province. 

The AGCO notified the company after discovering the issue, and the company disabled the auto-play functionality for the affected games.

Supplier Disables Prohibited Feature

As with any licensed iGaming operator and supplier in Ontario, a company served with an order of monetary penalty can request a hearing before the independent License Appeal Tribunal within 15 days.

Booming Games has been in business for nearly a decade, supplying slot games to the iGaming industry worldwide. The company entered regulated markets in Spain, Colombia, the Netherlands, and Denmark in 2023.

The company received its B2B AGCO license in 2024. 

Some of the slot titles that Booming Games offers operators in the province include TNT Bonanza, Cash Pig, Buffalo Hold and Win, and The Wild Wings of Phoenix.