If you have ever looked for an autoplay button on a slot at an Ontario casino and not found one, that is deliberate. Ontario’s rules have banned autoplay on slots since the regulated market opened in April 2022, along with turbo spins and slam stops. On 20 August 2026 the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) showed it takes the rule seriously, fining game supplier Booming Games $70,000 after autoplay appeared on its slots in the province.
What happened
According to the AGCO, the prohibited autoplay feature was available to Ontario players on “multiple” Booming slot games for “several months.” The regulator found it through its own compliance checks, told the casino operator that was offering the games, and the feature was switched off. The AGCO did not name the operator or the games.
The penalty was ordered against Booming Games (Malta) Limited, a registered supplier. The AGCO found that the company broke two of the Registrar’s Standards for Internet Gaming: the rule that games must not offer autoplay on slots, and the requirement that suppliers keep monitoring and testing their games after launch. In the regulator’s words, Booming failed to properly configure, test and monitor the games before and after they went live in Ontario.
“Ontario’s game design standards are fundamental player-protection measures built into the regulated igaming market,” said Dr. Karin Schnarr, the AGCO’s CEO and Registrar. Booming’s chief operating officer, Dani Paleu, told Intergame that the company accepts the ruling and takes full responsibility. Booming had 15 days to ask for a hearing before the Licence Appeal Tribunal.
The slot rules most players never notice
Ontario’s standards go further than most markets on how a slot is allowed to play. Among the rules:
- No autoplay: every spin has to be started by the player.
- At least 2.5 seconds from the start of one spin to the next, and the spin button has to be released and pressed again each time.
- No turbo, quick spin or slam stop features that speed up play.
- No celebrating a “win” that pays back less than you staked, so losses are not dressed up with winning sounds and animations.
- No playing several slots at the same time on split screens.
The idea behind all of them is the same: slow the pace of play down enough that players keep track of what they are spending. It is why a slot you know from an international site can feel slower in Ontario, and why the same game may be missing a button.
What it means for players
For anyone playing at a regulated Ontario casino, the case is mostly reassuring: the regulator checks the games, not just the operators. If you do see autoplay or turbo spins on a slot at an Ontario-licensed site, that is a breach, and you can report it to the operator or the AGCO. If you see them on a site that is not on iGaming Ontario’s list, that is a sign you are outside the regulated market altogether. Our guide to checking whether a casino is regulated in Ontario explains how to tell.
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