Ontario regulator fines Booming Games for auto-play breaches
The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has fined Booming Games (Malta) Limited $70,000 after prohibited auto-play functionality was available to players on multiple online slot games for several months.
The Ontario regulator said an investigation found Booming Games failed to properly configure, test and monitor certain online slots titles before and after they were launched in the province’s regulated iGaming market.
The affected games were hosted by an Ontario-licensed gambling operator, which the AGCO did not name. The regulator notified the operator after identifying the issue and the auto-play functionality was subsequently disabled.
Auto-play allows online casino players to automatically run a series of slot spins without manually initiating each wager. The feature is prohibited in Ontario as part of the province’s game-design rules aimed at reducing the intensity and continuity of gambling sessions.
The AGCO said requiring players to manually initiate every spin creates a pause between wagers, giving them an opportunity to assess their play and decide whether to continue.
Booming Games was found to have breached two of the Registrar’s Standards for Internet Gaming. The supplier violated Standard 2.16 by providing slots containing auto-play and Standard 4.09 by failing to adequately monitor and test its gaming systems and supplies throughout their lifecycle.
“Ontario’s game design standards are fundamental player-protection measures built into the regulated igaming market – they are not optional technical requirements,” AGCO chief executive and registrar Dr Karin Schnarr said.
“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.”
Booming Games COO Dani Paleu told media the supplier accepted responsibility for the breach and would not appeal the penalty.
Booming Games has been registered as a iGaming supplier in Ontario since early 2024 and supplies titles including Buffalo Hold and Win, Cash Pigs and The Wild Wings of Phoenix to operators in the province.
Ontario also imposes minimum time requirements between slot spins and prohibits features that disguise losses as wins through celebratory sounds or other misleading feedback.
Under Ontario rules, companies issued an Order of Monetary Penalty normally have 15 days to request a hearing before the independent Licence Appeal Tribunal.
