The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) levied a serious fine against PointsBet after the operator was alleged to be negligent in complying with the province’s responsible gambling policies.

According to the statement from AGCO, PointsBet Canada repeatedly and severely violated policy regarding one specific customer who lost over $500,000 in the span of three months. The AGCO has levied a $150,000 fine against the operator.

Despite being flagged by PointsBet as high risk, at no point did the site intervene. The customer repeatedly canceled withdrawal requests and was not required to sit out from gambling for 24 hours after removing deposit limits on their account.

“In Ontario, iGaming operators have an obligation to proactively monitor their patrons’ play for signs of high-risk gambling, and to take appropriate actions to intervene and reduce the potential for gambling related harms. The AGCO will continue to focus on player protection by holding all registered operators to these high standards,” Said AGCO CEO and Registrar Dr. Karin Schnarr.

In addition to allowing the user to continue to gamble, PointsBet is said to have continued to market directly to the user despite the user withdrawing consent to be marketed to from PointsBet. The operator gave the user more than $35,000 in play credit and repeatedly offered them rewards like tickets to sporting events.

The AGCO concluded PointsBet employees lacked the necessary training and sensitivity when it came to the importance of responsible gambling.

In August, the AGCO served a similar fine of $100,000 to Apollo Entertainment for not appropriately intervening when a customer lost $2 million in the span of four months.

“We are aware of the recent allegations put forth by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario.  Given this is an open legal matter, we will not provide further comment,” a PointsBet spokesperson told Canadian Gaming Business.