It turns out that NorthStar Gaming isn’t being fined CA$30,000 (US$20,800) by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) after all.
Back in October, the AGCO announced it was fining NorthStar Gaming for the amount “for failing to ensure that their site, NorthStarBets.ca, is accessible only to players in Ontario and other violations.”
AGCO said they identified the issue with NorthStarBets.ca through third-party compliance monitoring of registered internet gaming operators. Games provided on gaming sites registered in Ontario can only be provided within Ontario, “unless they are conducted in conjunction with the government of another province,” AGCO said in a statement at the time.
During the initial assessment, tests were conducted from locations in Quebec and New York state to determine if Ontario-registered gaming sites were accessible outside Ontario. NorthStarBets.ca failed to accurately identify the location of one of the devices during the assessment.
AGCO also found that NorthStar was guilty of “repeated failure” to provide AGCO with data, documents, and information in a “timely manner”.
Out of the $30,000 total in penalties, $20,000 was for NorthStar’s “failure to respond in a timely manner to the Registrar’s repeated requests for information about the alleged access to the site from outside of Ontario.”
Since that time, the AGCO said it was working with NorthStar to ensure that the issues highlighted were addressed.
Then on Monday, the AGCO sent out a short missive saying NorthStar had been providing them with information and was found not to have violated Standard 3.02 (games on gaming sites only to be offered within Ontario).
“As a result, the AGCO has withdrawn the $10,000 portion of the penalties relating to Standard 3.02 and NorthStar has agreed to pay the remaining penalties,” the statement read.
GDC Gaming has reached out for a comment from NorthStar Gaming but has yet to hear back.
