Ontario Moves To Suspend PointsBet Over Failure To Flag Jontay Porter Betting Scheme

By Bill Speros

Feb 12th, 2026 11:15 AM EST

Ontario regulators are cracking down on sportsbook compliance after alleging PointsBet Canada failed to properly detect and report suspicious wagering tied to the 2024 insider betting scandal involving former NBA Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter. As Ontario moves to suspend PointsBet, it is the first such move in the U.S. or Canada resulting from the scandal.

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has issued a Notice of Proposed Order to suspend PointsBet’s iGaming registration for five days. That is the first such proposed suspension in the province’s regulated online gaming market.

What Triggered The Suspension

According to the AGCO, PointsBet allegedly failed to properly monitor, document, and report suspicious betting patterns connected to Porter’s games in early 2024. The betting activity later became part of a broader U.S. criminal investigation into insider wagering.

After allegations first surfaced, the AGCO directed all licensed Ontario sportsbooks to confirm whether they had offered betting markets on Porter and whether any suspicious activity had been identified.

PointsBet initially told regulators it had not offered any such bets.

The U.S. Department of Justice unsealed an indictment in October 2025 outlining a wider insider betting conspiracy. AGCO subsequently required operators to reconfirm their prior responses.

Eighteen months after its original statement, PointsBet acknowledged it had in fact offered bets on Porter during the relevant games.

When regulators reviewed the wagering data, they identified suspicious betting patterns consistent with the scheme uncovered in 2024. The AGCO says that activity should have been flagged and reported at the time.

Integrity Monitoring Under The Spotlight

Ontario’s regulated sportsbooks operate under strict integrity monitoring requirements. Operators are expected to:

• Monitor unusual betting activity
• Detect suspicious wagering patterns
• Document irregularities
• Immediately report concerns to regulators

Regulators argue sportsbooks act as the first line of defense in protecting the integrity of sport and the betting market. Timely reporting can alert leagues, integrity monitors, regulators, and law enforcement — and can also trigger market protections across jurisdictions.

“Safeguarding the integrity of sports and Ontario’s sports betting market is a top priority,” AGCO CEO and Registrar Dr. Karin Schnarr said in a statement. “Operators must be equipped to detect and effectively respond to integrity risks, and we will take appropriate action when these standards are not met.”

Not PointsBet’s First Run-In With AGCO

This marks the third regulatory action involving PointsBet in Ontario:

• May 2022: Monetary penalty for advertising and inducement violations
• November 2023: Monetary penalty for responsible gambling compliance issues
• February 2026: Proposed five-day suspension tied to integrity monitoring failures

The proposed suspension is not yet final. PointsBet has 15 days to appeal to the Licence Appeal Tribunal, an independent adjudicative body under Tribunals Ontario.

Why This Matters For The Industry

This case underscores the increasing pressure regulators are placing on sportsbooks to police betting markets in real time. This comes particularly in an era where player prop betting and micro-markets have expanded dramatically.

The Porter scandal shocked the NBA and led to criminal charges in the United States. It's become a cautionary tale about the vulnerability of niche player markets to insider exploitation.

For operators, the message from Ontario is clear: integrity systems must work, and delays or incomplete disclosures can carry meaningful regulatory consequences.

In a competitive North American betting market where compliance scrutiny is rising — from Ontario to Massachusetts to Nevada — regulators appear increasingly willing to move beyond fines and into operational penalties.

Comments

Sign In | Sign Up

Post

View more