AGCO Fines theScore Bet $200,000 Over Cash-Out Offers Not Honoured

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has fined Score Media and Gaming Inc., the operator of theScore Bet, $200,000 after finding that two cash-out offers displayed to a bettor on the same parlay could not actually be completed. The regulator announced the monetary penalty on 6 October 2026 and described it as the maximum available.

The case turns on a feature many Ontario sports bettors use routinely: the option to settle a bet early for a guaranteed amount. The AGCO’s position is that an offer shown on a player’s screen has to be one the operator can honour.

Two offers, no payout

According to the AGCO, the wager was a $1,000 multi-leg parlay placed on 14 March 2025 on NHL, NBA and NCAA basketball games played that day. Had every selection won, the payout would have been more than $1 million.

After all but one leg had won, theScore presented a cash-out offer of about $380,000. The player accepted immediately, but the operator rejected the transaction during automated verification after the odds changed. Four minutes later a second offer of almost $100,000 appeared. The player again accepted straight away, and that offer was not honoured either. The final leg lost, the bet settled as a loss and the player received nothing.

The Registrar found that “neither cash-out offer was achievable as presented to the player.” The penalty relates to Standard 4.07 of the Registrar’s Standards for Internet Gaming, which requires that information given to players before and during play does not mislead them or misrepresent games. At a minimum, that information must not describe “outcomes, prizes, or features that are not achievable.”

“Not optional”

Dr. Karin Schnarr, the AGCO’s chief executive officer and registrar, said operators must ensure the gaming opportunities they present “are accurate and can be honoured as described.” By imposing the maximum penalty, she said, the regulator is “sending a clear message that these expectations are not optional.”

The order is a regulatory penalty, not a ruling on the bettor’s claim. The AGCO said its enforcement actions are separate from any other avenues players have to resolve individual disputes, and that operators remain responsible for handling complaints under Ontario and Canadian law. The release does not say whether the player has since been paid. Score Media and Gaming can ask for a hearing before the Licence Appeal Tribunal, which is independent of the AGCO, within 15 days of being served.

This is not the company’s first penalty in Ontario. In October 2025 the AGCO fined theScore $105,000 over a player who, according to the regulator’s allegations, wagered about $2.5 million and lost about $230,000 over eight months. The new fine is also the fourth monetary penalty the AGCO has announced against an igaming operator or supplier since early August, following Betty Gaming ($120,000, after underage individuals created and funded accounts), Booming Games ($70,000, a prohibited auto-play feature) and NorthStar Gaming ($100,000, anti-money-laundering control failures).

What it means for players in Ontario

Cash-out is a sports betting feature, but Standard 4.07 applies to any information a regulated site shows players before or during play, including in casino games. If a site displays a prize, feature or offer, the expectation is that it can be delivered on the terms shown.

If an offer you accept is rejected or changed, record what you saw: the time, the amount, the bet or game reference and a screenshot. The AGCO advises players to start with the operator’s formal complaints process and says a decision can take up to 90 days. A complaint to the AGCO is appropriate if you believe a regulated site broke the rules and that process did not resolve it, or straight away for issues involving responsible gambling, advertising or possible illegal activity. The regulator is explicit that it cannot get money back for a player; its role is to enforce the rules, and individual disputes may require independent legal advice. The AGCO’s internet gaming complaints page sets out each step, and the Ontario casino complaints guide explains how to prepare a complaint.

This route only exists for sites in Ontario’s regulated market. Before opening an account, confirm the brand with the Ontario casino checker or the steps in how to check if an Ontario casino is regulated.