Industry Source: PointsBet Canada Suspension an ‘Overstep’
Posted on: February 15, 2026, 02:52h.
Last updated on: February 15, 2026, 02:52h.
- AGCO suspends PointsBet Canada operations for five days
- PointsBet Canada considering options, appeal possible
- Sportsbook operator accused of “systemic failures” around Jontay Porter NBA betting scandal
Despite a stunning announcement Thursday that the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) was suspending PointsBet Canada’s gaming registration for five days, where the igaming operator was accused of systemic failures around an NBA insider betting scandal, it was business as usual on the PointsBet Canada platform this morning.
I went to put a bet down on the Over/Under for the Canada/France Olympic men’s hockey game (9.5) this morning, with no issues getting on to the PointsBet Canada app.
In almost four years since the Ontario regulated market went live, that was the first time AGCO had issued a Notice of Proposed Order on anyone in the igaming space.
Jontay Porter Betting Scandal
I don’t think it’s the end of the story,” a senior source told Casino.org. “This will get much uglier.”
PointsBet Canada has 15 days to appeal the AGCO decision to the Licence Appeal Tribunal. Judging by industry reaction to the severity of the suspension, one has to wonder how seriously they are looking at that option. There’s been no official statement on what direction the company will take just yet, in terms of an appeal.
“PointsBet Canada is disappointed by the AGCO’s decision to propose a five-day suspension of our operator registration,” said a PointsBet Canada spokesperson.
The AGCO suspension was the result of an alleged systemic failure to properly monitor, detect, document and report suspicious betting patterns in 2024 connected to Jontay Porter.
Rozier Trial
Porter is a former NBA player, and Toronto Raptor, who pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy after he deliberately underperformed in two Raptors games in early 2024, collaborating with gamblers. Porter, facing up to 20 years in prison, is still awaiting sentencing. He’s been suspended by the NBA for life.
Porter has been a key cog in an ongoing criminal investigation in the U.S. around allegations of improper betting involving several pro sports leagues. NBAer Terry Rozier was charged with wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering during an FBI sports-betting crackdown in October. He was accused of pulling himself out of NBA games so gamblers could cash in on bets, and has pled not guilty.
Suspension an AGCO “Overstep”
Two Major League Baseball players, Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz, are set to go on trial this May on charges including wire fraud, conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery, and money laundering for their alleged roles in a gambler scheme to rig bets on pitches in MLB games. There have also been allegations of improper betting of late in the UFC.
In a statement, the AGCO said that after allegations of insider betting involving Porter emerged in early 2024, the AGCO directed all Ontario regulated sportsbooks to confirm whether they had offered bets on Porter and if they had detected suspicious betting activity. According to the AGCO, PointsBet Canada, after a “significant delay”, said it had not offered such bets.
After news broke of the nationwide FBI arrests this October, where Porter was alleged to have been part of a larger NBA betting scheme, AGCO sent out another communication to Ontario sportsbooks asking for a re-confirmation whether suspicious betting had occurred on Porter markets.
It was at that point, 18 months after its initial response, that PointsBet Canada said that it had in fact offered betting on Porter in those games.
Source: This Could Get “Uglier”
After obtaining and reviewing PointsBet wagering data AGCO confirmed the suspicious betting that was central to the 2024 Porter scheme. In response, the AGCO said those bets should been detected and reported at the time they occurred.
“Safeguarding the integrity of sports and Ontario’s sports betting market is a top priority for the AGCO,” said Dr. Karin Schnarr, AGCO Chief Executive Officer and Registrar.
“We require all operators to have robust systems and comprehensive staff training in place to reliably detect and report suspicious activity. Our regulatory framework is clear—operators must be equipped to detect and effectively respond to integrity risks, and we will take appropriate action when these standards are not met.”
“Sloppy Work” by PointsBet Canada
Phill Gray, the former head of sports betting operations at Sports Interaction, called the AGCO action “quite the overstep”.
“Part of the license compliance with Ontario was to be working with the IBIA (International Betting Integrity Association), which you had to prove you were registered and communicating with them,” he said. “PointsBet was to my knowledge. That they failed to report wagers is certainly a management failure. But I don’t get anything sinister from it. There weren’t that many wagers in question and once news came in props would have been removed.
That’s a heavy penalty for this. I dealt with the AGCO on some shady esports betting and it was quite easy to audit wagering history and show that you had been communicating with IBIA and removed said wagers. So again some clerical mismanagement on PointsBet’s part. But nothing enough to warrant this action in my opinion.”
Canadian Gaming: PointsBet Reaction
The tone of PointsBet’s official response seemed to echo that management there agreed with Gray’s assessment.
“The issues stem from an initial inaccurate response in March 2024, caused by human error during an organizational transition — not any intent to withhold information. Upon discovering the correct data, we immediately disclosed it, cooperated fully with the investigation, and engaged proactively with the regulator,” said the company spokesperson.
We respectfully believe the proposed sanction is disproportionate given the circumstances, our subsequent corrective actions, and our strong compliance record. We are carefully reviewing all options, including our right to a hearing before the independent Licence Appeal Tribunal.”
Stay tuned.
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