AGCO issues a warning to all online gambling establishments to review their promotional terminology to avoid misusing the term ‘free play’.
The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario has issued a warning to operators, stating that they must be cautious in their use of the term ‘Free Play’ when advertising promotions.
According to the AGCO Standard 2.2.2 rule, if the term ‘free play’ is used to incentivise players, then it means there should be no real money involved in the offer at any point.
In other words, free play offers from any establishment, whether online or land-based, operating under the AGCO, means that players do not need to risk their own money at any stage of the offer.
From an Ontario-based player’s perspective, it’s an excellent rule to understand because literally, if you see the words promotions or bonus mixed in with free play, you can be 100% assured that you do not need to risk your own money. Furthermore, if at a later stage during the offer you find that you are required to use real money, you have the right to report the establishment for misusing the term ‘free play’.
An example offered by the AGCO focused on reward programs, but we are sure it is also related to no-deposit bonuses and other types of promotions.
From the AGCO’s perspective, if a promotion is not free, then it goes against the watchdog’s responsible gambling standards. Their reason for bringing up responsible gambling is that the word ‘free play’ may encourage those who were not planning to gamble to end up being lured into a promotion that would result in them spending their own cash.
For now, after reading the AGCO warning on its website, it appears that the regulatory authority is giving gambling establishments a chance to review how they word some of their promotions. Should operators not take heed of this warning, then fines are surely the next step, which, as you read on through this news report, you will see that the AGCO is more than capable of issuing fines for non-compliance.
The AGCO Commented: “If you promote something as ‘free,’ it must genuinely be free” – my source for this news report is the AGCO regulatory authority’s main news pages and the story is titled – Free Play Promotions Must Comply with the Registrar’s Standards.
The AGCO Example
We took this example text directly from the AGCO website’s news report
The following promotional offer would not be compliant with Standard 2.2.2:
New Reward Members can earn $100 in free play by following these steps:
1. Sign up for the casino’s rewards program
2. Play using your rewards card before August 1, 2025
3. Any losses incurred before August 31, 2025 will be returned to the player in free play credits (up to $100)
In this example, players must spend their own money (and lose it) before receiving the advertised “free” credits. Because a financial risk is required, the offer cannot truthfully be called “free.” Any promotion structured in this way is considered non-compliant with the Standards.
SOURCE: www.agco.ca/en/news/important-reminder-free-play-promotions-must-comply-registrars-standards
A case of accidentally displaying the wrong terminology
We don’t believe that casinos are intentionally trying to abuse the term ‘free play.’ Rather, the teams inventing these promotions are either unaware of or misinterpreting AGCO Standard 2.2.2 of the Registrar’s Standards for Gaming. Of course, we can’t know for sure, but with AGCO’s vigilant and watchful eye on its provincial gambling market, most operators know they cannot get away with even an honest mistake, hence this is likely why the AGCO has only issued a warning at this stage in time.
One of the problems we have seen with online casinos operating under the iGaming Ontario licensing framework is that some promo teams have displayed their bonus offers incorrectly. It is generally an honest mistake and not intended to be misleading, as none of these operators want to risk a fine that would dent the profits made from bonus incentives. Aside from using the term ‘free play’ incorrectly, online casinos in Ontario have also improperly displayed bonus rules, thereby violating the AGCO’s regulations.
We reported a similar incident last month, in which a casino ended up paying the price for its mistake, to the tune of a C$54,000 fine dished out by the AGCO. The casino displayed a high deposit match bonus opportunity, but came under fire when the AGCO spotted that the bonus rules made playing through the wagering requirements very difficult. On top of this, the way the casino laid out the bonus rules technically would encourage over-gambling due to the size of the bonus.
The combination was a high deposit match, a low bonus expiry and a low maximum bonus bet. You can find out more via the Casinoplusbonus news report covering this story, which we titled Canadian Casino Fined for Unfair Bonus.
Casinoplusbonus Opinion
It’s something we see all too often here at Casinoplusbonus. For example, a no deposit bonus may be advertised as free, but in fact, if you play through the wagering requirement to convert your bonus into real money, some casinos require you to make a deposit in order to withdraw your winnings. Of course, that deposit comes with a mandatory turnover before the casino approves the withdrawal, which means, in the end, you still have to risk your own money, which under the AGCO Standard 2.2.2 of the Registrar’s Standards for Gaming would not be allowed.
As a result of this, we are also careful about the way we use the term ‘free play’ when it comes to bonuses. If we review a no-deposit bonus offer from a particular casino, we always dissect the terms and conditions. Therefore, if the no deposit bonus does require you to make a deposit to withdraw bonus money converted to real money, we make sure to highlight this point. Just to be clear, the bonus balance you receive is free to play with, whereas the issue of having to deposit to withdraw any winnings converted only comes to light after you convert the bonus into real money, and applies to roughly 5% of casinos that offer no deposit bonuses.
When we use the term free play for slots: You will also see the term free play used for online slots. When we use this term, we are genuinely referring to free gameplay because we are pointing you towards a demo slot game, which you cannot win or lose real money.
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