Booming Games Fined CA$70,000 Over Prohibited Autoplay Feature

Ontario prohibits autoplay because every wager must be initiated manually by the player. This requirement creates a deliberate pause between spins, allowing players to assess their activity and decide whether to continue. The restriction directly affects how online slot games available in Canada must be configured before they can be supplied within Ontario’s regulated market.

Ontario’s slot design standards also impose minimum time requirements between game rounds. They prohibit audio or visual features that disguise losses as wins and other mechanics capable of increasing the speed, intensity or continuity of play. These requirements are intended to maintain player awareness and reduce the risk of prolonged, uninterrupted gambling.

AGCO cited Requirement 2 of Standard 2.16, which prohibits autoplay in slot games. It also cited Requirement 3 of Standard 4.09, under which suppliers must monitor and test gaming systems and supplies throughout their lifecycle and demonstrate that they continue to operate as approved.

The findings place responsibility on the supplier rather than treating the issue solely as an operator-level integration failure. Booming Games was required to ensure that its titles met Ontario’s technical and player-protection standards before release and remained compliant after deployment.

This position aligns with AGCO’s broader scrutiny of gaming technology and content distribution. The regulator previously penalised major B2B suppliers over unregulated market exposure, highlighting the need for suppliers to control where and how their products are made available.

The penalty comes as Ontario’s regulated online casino market continues to expand. The province reported record monthly wagers of CA$9.59 billion in March 2026, with online casino products accounting for most activity. Higher volumes increase the potential impact of configuration failures and make continuous compliance monitoring more important for suppliers serving multiple brands.

AGCO’s decision demonstrates that player protection is enforced through product design as well as account-level controls. Ontario has also introduced centralised self-exclusion through the BetGuard system, while the Booming Games case addresses safeguards embedded directly within gameplay.

Dr Karin Schnarr, AGCO chief executive and registrar, said:

Ontario’s game design standards are fundamental player-protection measures built into the regulated iGaming market – they are not optional technical requirements.

Schnarr added that registered suppliers must maintain effective controls to prevent prohibited features from reaching Ontario players and warned that the regulator would take action when those safeguards were not respected.

For suppliers, the decision underlines the importance of jurisdiction-specific configuration, release controls and post-launch auditing. A feature permitted in one regulated market cannot be assumed to comply in another. Suppliers must therefore account for local technical standards during development and integration while retaining effective oversight after games enter an operator’s portfolio.

The monetary penalty order may be challenged before the Licence Appeal Tribunal, which operates independently of AGCO. Booming Games had not announced whether it would request a hearing at the time of the regulator’s statement.