4. Ensuring Game Integrity and Player Awareness

4.1 All gaming activities and financial transactions shall be conducted fairly and honestly, and must be independently verifiable.

Requirements – At a minimum:

  1. Continuous independent monitoring and recording of lottery schemes and cash (and cash equivalent) handling must be in place to support the verification of:
    1. Adherence to required rules of play by players and employees or, in sport and event betting, the processing and redemption, if any, of the bet fairly, honestly and in accordance with the terms of the bet placed by the player, including applicable betting rules;
    2. Confirmation of outcomes of lottery schemes;
    3. Prize payment to the proper person;
    4. Accuracy of financial transactions.
  2. Continuous logs shall be maintained for critical gaming systems including to track financial accounting and game state history.
  3. [Removed September 2018.]

4.2 Rules of play, including any subsequent modifications, shall be submitted to the Registrar for approval. This Standard is not applicable to sport and event betting.

Requirements – At a minimum, the rules of play shall contain:

  1. Odds of winning, payout odds or returns to players.
  2. A description of how the game is played.
  3. Circumstances in which a game can be declared void.

Guidance: Sport and event betting rules of play do not need to be submitted to the Registrar for approval.

4.3 Lottery schemes must be conducted in accordance with the approved rules of play. Sport and event betting must be conducted fairly, honestly and in accordance with the terms of the bet placed by the player.

Requirements – At a minimum:

  1. All bets shall be accepted, processed and settled in accordance with the approved rules of play.
  2. Adequate supervision of the lottery scheme is in place to ensure adherence to required procedures.
  3. Devices that compromise or affect the integrity of lottery schemes shall not be permitted.
  4. Sport and event bets shall be accepted, processed, and settled in accordance with the terms of the bet placed by the player, including any applicable betting rules.

4.4 [Removed, April 2017]

4.5 All gaming systems and gaming supplies, including any subsequent modifications, shall be submitted to the Registrar for assessment and approval, at the expense of the supplier, prior to being provided to any gaming site.

Requirements:

  1. [Removed, July 2019]. 
  2. Chips and tokens which meet the following specifications are deemed to be approved for play in Ontario (applicable to Casinos only): 
    1. Designed and manufactured to minimize the possibility of counterfeiting in accordance with industry good practice; 
    2. Bear the manufacturer’s name or a distinctive logo or other mark identifying the manufacturer; 
    3. Bear the name of the issuer; and 
    4. Except in the case of non-value chips used exclusively for the playing of roulette, indicate the value of the chip or token. 
    5. Tokens must possess attributes that distinguish them from other tokens and coins (e.g. alloy composition, security marks, patterns) to permit acceptance of only valid coins by coin acceptors. 

      Guidance: Non-electronic or non-electromagnetic gaming supplies used in operation with table games in accordance with the Rules of Play (e.g. dice, cards) do not require additional assessment or approval by the Registrar, and can be made available for play. 
  3. Playing cards used for gaming are imprinted with an identifier unique to the gaming site (applicable to Casinos only)

4.6 Gaming systems and gaming supplies shall be provided, installed, configured, maintained, repaired, and operated in a way that ensures the integrity, safety and security of the approved gaming supplies and systems, and in accordance with the Registrar’s approval.

Requirements – At a minimum:

  1. Only gaming systems and gaming supplies approved by the Registrar shall be used at a gaming site.
  2. The Registrar shall be immediately notified where there is any problem with the integrity or security of the gaming system or gaming supplies.
  3. Monitoring shall be performed throughout the life of the gaming system and gaming supplies to ensure they are operating as approved.
  4. In the event of any suspected integrity or security problem with a gaming system or gaming supply, the current state of the gaming system and gaming supply, and any supportive evidence shall be preserved until investigators (OPP or AGCO) have provided direction.
  5. [Removed, September 2020.]

4.7 Production, testing and development systems shall be logically separated.

4.8 Game outcomes shall be recoverable, where technically possible, so that player bets can be settled appropriately.

4.9 Where game outcomes or sport and event betting transactions are not recoverable, the Operator shall have clearly defined policies in respect of treating the player fairly when resolving the player’s transactions. These policies and processes shall be made available to players.

4.10 Mechanisms shall be in place to allow a game to be recreated up to and including the last communicated state to the player.

Requirements – At a minimum:

  1. Selected electronic game elements and game outcomes shall be logged before they are displayed to the player.
  2. Information shall be captured that is needed to continue a partially complete game within a reasonable period of time.

4.10.1 Where there are suspected game or system faults that may impact game integrity or fairness including the integrity or fairness of sport and event betting (e.g., influencing a player’s chances of winning or the return to players), Operators shall make the game unavailable to players until the issue has been resolved. In the case of sport and event betting, making a game unavailable may include the suspension of betting, the withholding of funds, and the refund of any bet until a gaming system fault has been resolved. Operator decisions must be fair, reasonable, and made in good faith.

4.11 A player’s bet and the outcome of the game shall be clearly displayed and easy to understand.

4.11.1 In sport and event betting, details on placed bets shall be made readily available and clear to the player.

Requirements – At a minimum, the betting system shall give the player a record including the following information:

  1. The gaming site or brand with which the bet was made.
  2. The gaming event and outcome upon which the bet was placed.
  1. The date and time of the bet.
  2. The payout odds and total monies bet.
  3. How to redeem a winning bet.

Guidance: Indicating where redemption instructions can be found satisfies the redemption portion of this requirement.

4.11.2 The results of a bet on a sport or event must be provided to players. Any change to the results of a sport or event must be made available. Sport and event bets must be settled fairly and in accordance with the terms of the bet placed by the player. Where raised, the reasons for the settlement must be clearly and promptly provided to the player.

4.11.3 If players are playing using an account, account balances will be updated as the results of bets are confirmed.

4.11.4 Sport and event betting Operators shall have controls in place to ensure the accuracy and timeliness of sport and event results data.

4.12 Patron complaints and any inquiries related to game integrity must be recorded and addressed in a timely and appropriate manner.

4.13 Games shall pay out accurately, completely and within a reasonable time of winning, subject to checks and verifications.

4.14 Operators shall have mechanisms in place to appropriately deter, prevent and detect collusion and cheating.

4.15 All relevant activities related to the detection of collusion and cheating shall be logged.

4.16 Players must be able to easily and readily report activities related to collusion and cheating.

4.17 Removed, July 2019.

4.18 Live table game (non-electronic) layouts must at a minimum display the following information in a manner identifiable through surveillance recording (applicable to Casinos only):

  1. Unique Property Identifier
  2. Specific Game Name (Game Type)
  3. Wagering Positions
  4. Bonus Pay tables
  5. Unique Game Options

Guidance: This Standard is not intended to capture gaming layouts that are displayed electronically via a terminal, display, etc.

Unique Game Options was intended to capture any options unique to the game which is important for understanding how the outcome of the game will be determined. As an example, in Blackjack an indication of whether the Dealer stands on all point totals of seventeen (17) or hits on soft seventeen (17).

4.19 Sport and event betting Operators shall have risk management measures in place to mitigate the betting integrity risk associated with sport and event betting, including insider betting and event manipulation.

Requirements – At a minimum:

  1. Operators shall establish controls to identify unusual or suspicious betting activity and report such activity to an independent integrity monitor.
        
    Unusual betting activity is a betting pattern that deviates, including statistically, from the activity otherwise exhibited by patrons and reasonably expected by an Operator or independent integrity monitor, which may indicate potential suspicious activity in the betting or the underlying sport or other event. Unusual betting activity may include the size of a patron's wager or increased wagering volume on a particular event or wager type.
        
    Suspicious betting activity is unusual betting activity that cannot be explained and is indicative of match fixing, the manipulation of an event, misuse of inside information, or other illicit activity.
  2. Independent integrity monitors shall not have any perceived or real conflicts of interests in performing the independent integrity monitor role, including such as acting as an Operator or as an oddsmaker.
  3. Independent integrity monitors shall promptly disseminate reports of unusual betting activity to all member sport betting Operators.
  4. All sport and event betting Operators shall review such reports and notify their independent integrity monitor of whether they have experienced similar activity.
  5. If an independent integrity monitor finds that previously reported unusual betting activity rises to the level of suspicious activity, they shall immediately notify any entity with which they have an information sharing relationship, including independent integrity monitors, sport betting Operators, the appropriate governing authority for the sport or event, and any other organizations or individuals identified by the Registrar.
  6. All independent integrity monitors receiving such a report shall share such report with their member sport betting Operators.
  7. Independent integrity monitors shall facilitate collaboration and information sharing to enable the investigation of and response to prohibited activity associated with the suspicious betting activity as directed by the Registrar.
  8. Independent integrity monitors shall provide, in accordance with the notification matrix, the Registrar with:
    1. All reports of unusual betting activity;
    2. If the activity was determined to be suspicious; and
    3. The actions taken by the independent integrity monitor.

Guidance: The Registrar will publish a list of registered independent integrity monitors.

4.20 An Operator receiving a report of suspicious activity under Standard 4.19 may suspend or cancel sport and event betting on events related to the report or withhold associated customer funds. To this end, an Operator must ensure that it has reserved itself the authority to suspend betting, void bets, and withhold associated customer funds. The Operator’s decision to suspend or cancel sport and event betting, or withhold associated customer funds, on events related to the report must be fair, reasonable, and made in good faith.

4.21 An Operator offering sport and event betting products shall ensure that all bets offered meet the following criteria:

  1. The outcome of the event being bet on can be documented and verified;
  2. The outcome of the event being bet on can be generated by a reliable and independent process;
  3. The outcome of the event being bet on is not affected by any bet placed;
  4. The majority of participants in the event or league are 18 years of age or older; event shall be broadly defined as assessing total participants in the event/league, rather than in a particular heat, game, match or final contest in the overall sporting event;
  5. For sporting events being bet on, the event must be effectively supervised by a sport governing body which must, at minimum, prescribe final rules and enforces codes of conduct that include prohibitions on betting by insiders (not applicable to novelty bets);
  6. There are integrity safeguards in place which are sufficient to mitigate the risk of match-fixing, cheat- at-play, and other illicit activity that might influence the outcome of bet upon events;
  7. The bet is not on a past event for which the outcome is publicly known;
  8. The bet is not reasonably objectionable;
  9. The event being bet on does not involve animal fighting or cruelty;
  10. Bets on assets and financial markets (e.g., stocks, bonds, currencies, real property) are prohibited;
  11. Bets which expose players to losses greater than the amount wagered are prohibited;
  12. Bets which mimic the structure of financial instruments, products, or markets are prohibited;
  13. Bets on synthetic lottery products and bets on lottery outcomes are prohibited;
  14. The event being bet on is conducted in conformity with all applicable laws;
  15. Bets on minor league sports in Canada, including the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), are prohibited.

Guidance:

  • For the purpose of Req. 8, reasonably objectional bets include bets on events which are unethical, allow entertainment to be derived from human suffering or death or involve non-consensual violence or injury.
  • Req. 12 applies to contracts for difference including spread betting.