theScore Bet fined C$200,000 in Ontario after refusing two cash-out offers a player had accepted

Ontario's gambling regulator has fined the operator of theScore Bet C$200,000 for showing a player two cash-out offers and then refusing to honour either one. The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) announced the penalty against Score Media and Gaming Inc. on 6 October 2026. It is the maximum monetary penalty available for this breach.

What happened to the bet

On 14 March 2025, a player placed a C$1,000 parlay, a single bet combining several selections that all have to win, on NHL, NBA and NCAA basketball games played that day. If every leg came in, the payout would have been more than C$1 million.

With every leg but the last already won, theScore showed the player a cash-out offer of about C$380,000. A cash-out lets you settle a bet early for the amount the operator offers, instead of waiting for the result. The player accepted straight away. theScore's automated checks then rejected the transaction because the odds had changed.

Four minutes later, the app showed a second offer of almost C$100,000. The player accepted that one immediately too, and it was not honoured either. The final leg lost, the bet settled as a loss, and the player received no payout.

The rule theScore broke

The AGCO's registrar found that neither offer "was achievable as presented". That breaches Standard 4.07 of the Registrar's Standards for Internet Gaming, which says information shown to players before and during play must not mislead them, and at a minimum must not describe outcomes, prizes or features that cannot be achieved. The AGCO says the failure to comply was contrary to section 3.8 of Ontario's Gaming Control Act, 1992.

The useful part of the decision is how plainly it reads the rule. A cash-out button showing a figure is a statement that this figure is available. If the operator's own checks are going to refuse it once the odds move, the offer was never real, and Ontario treats that as misleading the player.

"Operators have a responsibility to ensure that the gaming opportunities they present are accurate and can be honoured as described," said Dr. Karin Schnarr, the AGCO's chief executive and registrar. "By imposing the maximum monetary penalty available, we are sending a clear message that these expectations are not optional."

theScore Bet's parent company, PENN Entertainment, told Canada Gaming Review that it had engaged with the AGCO throughout and takes its responsibility for a fair and transparent betting experience seriously. Score Media and Gaming can ask Ontario's independent Licence Appeal Tribunal for a hearing within 15 days.

What it means for players

The penalty does not pay the player anything. The AGCO says its action is separate from any route a player has to resolve an individual dispute, and that operators remain responsible for handling complaints under Ontario and Canadian law.

The principle is wider than sportsbooks. Anything a regulated Ontario site shows you as available, whether a cash-out amount, a prize or a feature, has to be something it can actually deliver. Related: Games Global entering Alberta and Quebec's new government backing licensing of private sites.

18+. If gambling has stopped feeling like a pastime, see responsible play.