The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has walked back a punishment it handed down to NorthStar Gaming after finding that the Canadian operator didn’t fail a geolocation test as previously stated.

In October, the AGCO fined NorthStar $30,000. One-third of that total was punishment for NorthStar apparently having failed to ensure that its NorthStarBets.ca site was accessible only to players in Ontario. The remaining $20,000 was for the company’s failure to respond in a timely manner to the AGCO’s repeated requests for information about the incident.

At the time, the AGCO said that an assessment found the operator had failed to identify that a test device trying to access its Ontario-only northstarbets.ca site was located outside the province. Tests were conducted from physical locations in Quebec and New York state to determine whether Ontario gaming sites were accessible outside Ontario.

However, in an update on Dec. 23, the ACGO clarified that NorthStar has provided the AGCO with the requested information that evidences the fact that NorthStar did not violate Standard 3.02 (i.e. games on gaming sites shall be provided only within Ontario). As a result, the AGCO has withdrawn the $10,000 portion of the fine. The $20,000 fine remains payable as it relates to NorthStar’s communication with the regulator rather than the now-disproven violation itself.

Canadian Gaming Business reached out to NorthStar Gaming for comment but had not heard back at the time of writing.

At the time of the initial fine in October, a NorthStar spokesperson told CGB that it was investigating the incident with its  geolocation compliance vendor “to uncover the possible causes of the incident and identify any remedial steps.” NorthStar’s website lists Vancouver-based geolocation leader GeoComply as a partner.

NorthStar operates two NorthStar Bets-branded websites. The dot-ca website offers AGCO-licensed and regulated iGaming and online sports betting in Ontario, powered by the company’s leading technology and services partners Playtech and Kambi. The dot-com version is owned and operated by the Abenaki Council of Wolinak and is licensed by the Kahnawake Gaming Commission, offering services to Canadians outside Ontario.