Since so much has happened this year in Ontario, here is a round-up of all the important news and information that occurred regarding the Ontario market this year.
Ontario iGaming Launch
Ontario became the first province in Ontario to set up a regulatory iGaming body and give out official iGaming licences. The market launched on the 4th of April 2022, starting off with just a few licences. As the months went on, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) and iGaming Ontario (IGO), gave out more licences.
First Market Performance Report
In August 2022, when the first iGaming quarter was finished, the IGO came out with the Ontario market’s first market performance report. This report indicated that the regulated market was welcomed and more Ontario players seem to be preferring it. Here are the numbers that were brought out from the report.
The Deadline is Set
After more and more online casino brands entered the market, in an effort to make the Ontario safer for the players, the AGCO announced a deadline and that it’s made a few changes to their Registrar’s Standards for Internet Gaming. These changes include the biggest of them all: the transition period that the AGCO created for the unregulated to become regulated, will expire very soon.
In fact, they announced that by the end of October, specifically 31st October 2022, those operators who are still unregulated will no longer be able to function in the Ontario market without the legal consequences of the AGCO.
Time’s Up on the Deadline
The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario gave unregulated operators over a month to start their application process to switch to being regulated operators in Ontario. The 31st of October came and went, the deadline expired, and more regulated operators have joined the Ontario market.
The AGCO has now granted over 60 new licences, making the market a larger and safer one for Ontario players. This change has led to the Attorney General to indicate that the grey market, otherwise known as the unregulated market, slowly diminishing.
Legal Challenge with Kahnawàke Council
Just recently, Ontario’s method of regulation and its regulatory body, are being called into question by the Mohawk Council of Kahnawàke. The council is stating that this whole process goes against the constitution of Canada. They made this action official in court by filing a motion with the Ontario Superior Court of Justice due to the regulations set out by the AGCO being “illegal and unconstitutional”.
This legal action is reported as being a last resort action from the council’s end.
Latest News
- iGaming Ontario Act: AGCO and iGO No Longer in Subsidiary Relationship
- Ontario Superior Court Rules that iGO’s Practices are Consistent with Criminal Code
- AGCO Study Finds that Regulated Gaming Sites are the Choice for 86% of Ontario’s Online Players
- Ontario’s Gambling Scene and the Impact of Celebrities on Online Casino Ads
- IGO 2023-24 Q3 Market Performance Report Is Out
