AGCO Hits FanDuel Canada with $350K Fine

FanDuel Canada has been fined $350,000 by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) for allegedly failing to detect and report suspicious betting and match-fixing activity surrounding Czech Table Tennis Star Series matches in 2024, which were known to have integrity issues.

In a statement released today by AGCO, the registrar found that FanDuel accepted 144 bets from three Ontario player accounts on the table tennis series between October 23 and November 30, 2024, matches in which there were several indications of match-fixing.

Untrustworthy Betting Practices

FanDuel failed to comply with the requirements of Standard 4.32 of the Registrar's Standards for Internet Gaming, which states that "Operators establish controls to identify unusual or suspicious betting activity and report such activity to an Independent Integrity Monitor," according to the AGCO, despite the warning signs.

Betting on certain matches continued unhindered for a number of weeks as the operator failed to recognize and report the suspicious activity.Operators must notify Independent Integrity Monitors (IIMs) of any suspicious conduct they find. IIMs then disseminate the information around networks of regulated igaming operators in order to find similar activity on other platforms.In order for sports leagues and sports regulatory organizations to investigate potential match and athlete integrity violations, the information is also reported to them.

According to the AGCO, abrupt changes in betting patterns and lines on games involving two particular athletes are examples of suspicious activity that ought to have caused FanDuel to take action. A concentration of wagers on athletes losing their matches, an unrealistic and almost flawless win percentage, and obvious indications of coordinated betting activity among the accounts engaged in the questionable betting activity were also highlighted by AGCO.

Sports Integrity in Canadian Gaming

The AGCO further stated that the sector had previously sent warnings on concerns regarding betting integrity with regard to this specific event, which evidently went unheeded in this instance.

In accordance with the established notification matrix, Standard 1.13 "requires Operators engage with the Registrar in a transparent way, which includes reporting any incident or matter that may affect the integrity or public confidence in gaming."

According to the AGCO, FanDuel also fell short of that requirement.

FanDuel Canada Issues Statement

"In an era of heightened scrutiny on sports integrity, igaming operators must be vigilant and proactive in detecting suspicious betting activity and taking appropriate steps to protect their patrons,” said Dr. Karin Schnarr, Chief Executive Officer and Registrar, AGCO. “We will continue to hold all regulated operators accountable to these standards. Protecting fair play is essential to maintaining public trust.”

In a written response provided to Casino.org, a representative for FanDuel Canada appeared to indicate that the company disagrees with the AGCO's decision.

“FanDuel has developed an industry leading sports integrity monitoring program that pairs advanced technology and real-time monitoring with an experienced and dedicated risk and trading team to identify and investigate suspicious activity in conjunction with leagues, independent integrity monitoring groups, regulatory bodies and law enforcement,” the spokesperson said.

Option to Appeal

“As an operator that prides itself on the trust we have built with our stakeholders, we do not feel that this action accurately reflects the commitment and investment we have consistently demonstrated regarding protecting the industry, our customers, and the integrity of sport. We also are concerned it could discourage the industry from engaging in best efforts to identify, investigate, and report on irregular activity.

“Our integrity monitoring program enabled us to be the only operator to proactively identify, investigate and report this suspicious activity to integrity monitors.  FanDuel then proactively reported this activity to the AGCO.

“While we are disappointed with the decision made by the AGCO to issue this fine, we are unwavering in our commitment to working with them to identifying areas of integrity concerns and protect sports from those who seek to undermine fair competition and the games we love.”

FanDuel Canada has fifteen days to file an appeal with the Licence Appeal Tribunal against the AGCO's decision. We have not heard back from FanDuel Canada regarding their intention to appeal.