The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has significantly intensified its enforcement against unapproved gaming devices, revoking lottery seller registrations for several retailers in the Greater Toronto Area who were caught offering electronic gambling machines marketed as skill-based games.
These machines, most notably branded as Prime Slot, were found operating in convenience stores and other general retail outlets, locations typically off-limits to gambling devices under provincial law.
This move marks a major stance by the AGCO, the government body tasked with regulating gaming and lottery operations across Ontario.
By stripping lottery licenses from implicated retailers, the AGCO aims to reinforce stringent requirements for game integrity, player safety, and protecting minors and vulnerable individuals from exposure to unregulated gambling.
Unapproved Machines Spark Oversight
Over the past decade, gaming machines described as skill-based have rapidly spread throughout North America, placed in stores where traditional slot machines are banned.
Despite claims by manufacturers that these devices are games of skill, AGCO officials assert that machines like Prime Slot are fundamentally games of chance, operating in a manner similar to slot machines.
This distinction is critical under Ontario’s gaming laws, which do not permit chance-based games outside of regulated casinos and licensed properties.
In response to these findings, the AGCO served implicated retailers with Notices of Proposed Order to revoke their lottery seller registrations.
These retailers now have the right to appeal the decision within 15 days to the independent Licence Appeal Tribunal under Tribunals Ontario.
GCO’s Chief Executive Officer and Registrar, Dr. Karin Schnarr, stated that such gambling machines ‘have no business being in convenience stores or other locations, particularly those that are available to children and youth.’
The regulator’s latest action fits into a broader strategy to combat unregulated gambling activities across the province.
The AGCO’s mandate extends beyond physical locations, also encompassing digital gaming and iGaming integrity.
Recent enforcement efforts have also included monetary penalties against operators that violate gambling standards and strict requirements around certified and approved games.
The AGCO’s ongoing commitment is to mitigate the risks unregulated machines pose, especially as such devices can be easily accessed by minors in unsupervised venues.
By enforcing its authority to strip licenses and escalate oversight, the AGCO continues to clamp down on unapproved gaming to safeguard the Ontario public and maintain trust in the province’s regulated gaming sector.
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