Gambling Weekly News Summary in Canada – 2025/10/04
AGCO Removed 50 Illegal Gambling Machines in the Province
Ontario’s gambling regulator, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), has continued to investigate and remove skill games and machines from the province.
Throughout the summer, the commission inspected over 200 lottery retail and liquor licensed companies, which resulted in over 50 “Prime Slots” machines being removed as they had been operating without oversight and unlawfully.
Despite being marketed as games of skill, testing by the AGCO has found that the machines instead rely on chance, and thus are not permitted under Canadian law.
“While other jurisdictions grapple with the entrenchment of these unlawful gaming machines, the AGCO has taken a proactive stance to ensure they do not take root here in Ontario. Our recent regulatory actions are a clear demonstration of our comprehensive approach and our long-term commitment,” said Dr. Karin Schnarr, Chief Executive Officer and Registrar, AGCO.
It is estimated that there are around 625,000 unregulated gaming machines operating in North America, with an estimated $41.3 billion (US$30 billion) generated each year from them in revenue.
Gateway Casino Sarnia to close by March 31
The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) has notified Gateway Casino Sarnia that its lease would not be renewed on Monday.
While the Hiawatha Horse Park will continue to operate, casino operations on the site will be forced to close by 31 March 2026, only six years after the site had slots return thanks to the Optional Slots at Racetracks Program (OSARP), a temporary measure put in place to help racetracks in the province in 2019.
“From the outset, OSARP was scheduled to end on March 31, 2026, with the casino lease not being extended, and partners being made aware during the process. We will work closely with our casino service providers and property owners to ensure the decommissioning process for these sites is as smooth as possible.” OLG spokesperson Tony Bitonti stated in a press release.
The OLG has said it will continue to work closely with its casino providers to ensure a smooth transition.
Owner of Gateway Casino Sarnia, Jim Henderson, said, “We didn’t have it for eight years before. We’ll just have to work (out) something else.”
Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority Appeals FINTRAC $1.2M Fine
In documents obtained by Canadian Gaming Business, the First Nations casino operator Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority (SIGA) has filed an appeal against the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC) after the entity fined SIGA $1.2 million for violating the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act.
SIGA, who run seven casinos in Saskatchewan and the province’s only regulated online casino platform, was fined on August 28, after FINTRAC claimed that the operator failed to submit four different suspicious transaction reports (STRs), as well as not including money laundering or terrorist indicator in the STR documents that the operator had submitted.
According to FINTRAC, this was enough ground to report and fine SIGA for suspicious transactions.
Yet, SIGA’s appeal, filed on September 26, claims that the FINTRAC Director, Sarah Paquet, had made several errors that went against FINTRAC’s own rules.
Ziv (Steve) Chen
CEO at Major League Content
Ziv has been working in the iGaming industry for more than two decades, serving in senior roles in software developers like Playtech and Microgaming. He then followed his lifelong passion of writing and became a fulltime journalist, covering casinos, sports betting, legislation and other gambling topics and news with a specialty in North America.
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ziv-steve-chen-94b01b5/
