Ontario regulator moves to suspend PointsBet over Jontay Porter betting scandal

Toronto Raptors center Jontay Porter (34) in the first half of an NBA basketball game Monday, March 11, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Ontario’s gaming regulator is moving to suspend PointsBet’s iGaming registration for five days, suggesting the gambling site failed to properly detect and report suspicious betting tied to the NBA’s Jontay Porter scandal.

In a news release issued Thursday, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) says the proposed suspension — a “first” for the province’s regulated gambling market — stems from what it describes as a “systemic failure to monitor, document and report unusual betting patterns” connected to a 2024 “bet-rigging scheme” that became the subject of a major U.S. criminal investigation under the FBI.

In early 2024, after allegations of insider betting involving then–Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter emerged, the AGCO directed all Ontario-regulated sportsbooks to confirm whether they had offered bets on Porter and whether any suspicious activity had been detected and reported.

The regulator emphasizes that after a “significant delay,” PointsBet advised it had not offered such bets.

However, later in October 2025, following the public release of a U.S. Department of Justice indictment that outlined a broader insider betting scheme, the AGCO required operators to once again reconfirm if any suspicious betting had occurred on Porter markets.

After 18 months following its initial response, PointsBet finally acknowledged it did offer betting on Porter during those games.

After reviewing wagering data, the AGCO says it confirmed “indications of suspicious betting” central to the 2024 scheme, adding those wagers should have been detected and reported at the time.

“Safeguarding the integrity of sports and Ontario’s sports betting market is a top priority for the AGCO,” said Dr. Karin Schnarr, Chief Executive Officer and Registrar of the AGCO.

“We require all operators to have robust systems and comprehensive staff training in place to reliably detect and report suspicious activity.”

Under Ontario’s regulatory framework, operators are required to “immediately report unusual or suspicious betting activity” that could suggest insider betting.

In a statement provided to CTV News Toronto, PointsBet Canada, said it is “disappointed by the AGCO’s decision to propose a five-day suspension of our operator registration.”

“The issues stem from an initial inaccurate response in March 2024, caused by human error during an organizational transition — not any intent to withhold information," a spokesperson wrote.

“Upon discovering the correct data, we immediately disclosed it, cooperated fully with the investigation, and engaged proactively with the regulator.”

PointsBet added it believes “the proposed sanction is disproportionate given the circumstances, our subsequent corrective actions, and our strong compliance record,” and said it is “carefully reviewing all options, including our right to a hearing before the independent Licence Appeal Tribunal.”

This development comes nearly two years after Porter received a lifetime NBA ban for disclosing confidential information to sports bettors. He later pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in a U.S. federal criminal case tied to the betting scandal.

This is not the first time the AGCO has sanctioned PointsBet.

The regulator issued monetary penalties in May 2022 for advertising and inducement-related violations, and again in November 2023 where they received another monetary penalty for violation of responsible gambling standards.

PointsBet has the right to appeal the proposed suspension within 15 days.