AGCO fines Betty Gaming CA$120,000 after underage accounts slip through
2026-08-07
Ontario's AGCO fined Betty Gaming CA$120,000 after self-reported age-verification failures let 23 under-19s open accounts on Betty.ca, nine of whom wagered. The operator accepted the penalty and said it has strengthened eligibility controls.
The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has fined Betty Gaming Ltd CA$120,000 after age-verification failures allowed 23 people under the legal age of 19 to open accounts on Betty.ca. According to the regulator, nine of those individuals went on to deposit funds and gamble, while the other 14 created accounts without wagering.
Betty, the operating company behind Betty.ca in Ontario's regulated iGaming market under iGaming Ontario, flagged the problem itself in November 2025. Ontario's gaming standards require operators to verify player eligibility before accounts are created and to maintain effective safeguards against underage access.
Dr. Karin Schnarr, the AGCO's CEO and Registrar, called the legal age requirement "one of the most basic and important safeguards" in Ontario's regulated market. She said underage users must be prevented from registering, funding accounts, or betting online, and that operators are accountable for ensuring their systems work correctly before going live.
Operator response and company background
A Betty Gaming Canada spokesperson said the company reported the vulnerability to the AGCO immediately upon discovery, closed the affected accounts, and has since implemented additional safeguards to strengthen player eligibility controls. The spokesperson added that Betty accepts the AGCO's findings and the penalty and remains committed to working with the regulator on market safety.
Betty, founded in February 2023, launched in Ontario as a female-focused slot platform and has since evolved; its user base is now split roughly evenly by gender, with a slight lean toward women. The operator is also active in Alberta's regulated iGaming market, which went live on July 13. In its Q2 2026 results, released in late July, Betty reported a 113% year-on-year revenue increase to US$90.2 million (CA$125.1 million), while active players rose from 81,000 in June 2025 to 167,000 in June 2026.
Regulatory backdrop
The penalty is the latest in a line of AGCO enforcement actions focused on core player protections. Last month, the regulator ordered Great Canadian Entertainment to pay CA$170,000 after a compliance audit of Pickering Casino Resort found failures in identifying, assessing, and monitoring high-risk patrons, as well as reporting suspicious activity including potential money-laundering indicators.
Betty has the right to appeal the registrar's decision to the Licence Appeal Tribunal, an independent adjudicative body within Tribunals Ontario, within 15 days.