Consumers in Ontario, Canada’s largest province, will soon be able to avail of legal, regulated internet gambling – including online poker.
From 4th of April 2022, private poker, sportsbook and casino operators which have applied for and signed an iGaming agreement with the regulator will be allowed to commence testing, marking the first time that commercial organizations will be allowed to offer legal, regulated gambling to the 15 million residents of the province.
Who regulates Ontario Gambling?
The main regulator in Ontario is the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO). In July 2021, a subsidiary group “iGaming Ontario” (iGO) was formed, tasked with managing and supervising the regulated online iGaming industry.
Land-based gambling is regulated in the province by the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG), – responsible for overseeing the province’s lotteries, commercial casinos, charity and Aboriginal casinos, & track slot machines.
When will online poker go live?
The iGO’s roadmap for iGaming was published in 2021. Applicants could apply for licenses online, needing to get their applications approved and Operating Agreements executed ahead of launch.
In March, private gambling operators may begin testing their online systems, on April 4th, 2022, they can begin to offer their products and services to Ontario residents.
Poker rooms in the state will be segregated from global player pools initially, however it is possible that gambling operators will allow liquidity sharing with rest-of-the-world player pools, including the rest of Canada. The U.S employs such an agreement – the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA) which enables multi-jurisdiction compacts between the states of New Jersey, Nevada, and Delaware.
In Europe a pool-sharing agreement is in place between Spain, Italy, and Portugal.
Which Poker sites will offer legal online poker in Ontario?
The most likely candidates are: PokerStars, BetMGM, GGPoker, PartyPoker, and 888poker, and perhaps WSOP.com
London based reporter covering all aspects of the global regulated and unregulated land-based and online gambling industry - including business news, sports-betting, casinos, poker & regulation