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Ontario report Ontario progress report
ONTARIO PROGRESS REPORT
Ontario ’ s nascent online gaming market has been a hotspot for conversations on licensing , marketing , launches and all the potential and pitfalls of uncharted territory . With so much left to come , Marese O ’ Hagan explores how operators have made their mark so far in the jurisdiction
ONTARIO ’ S IGAMING launch has certainly been eventful . Rules outlined by the provincial regulator , the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario ( AGCO ), particularly around marketing , have created challenges for many businesses . But this is not to say the launch has gone badly . In its first quarter of activity ( ended 30 June ), the province generated CA $ 162m (£ 105.3m /$ 117.4m /€ 120.6m ) in revenue , while stakes topped CA $ 4.07bn – not in line with the huge numbers reported by some US jurisdictions , but clearly a major opportunity . iGaming Ontario , a subsidiary of the AGCO , says the growth in customers across live operators speaks to the market ’ s success .
“ The 21 operators who have entered the market to date with the customer bases they have achieved shows that Ontario ’ s new legal igaming market framework is appealing to both operators and players ,” the body says .
Lee Gwilliam , vice president of casinos and commercial at Gambling . com Ireland , says that Ontario ’ s context – as a grey market that eventually regulated – must be kept in consideration to fully appreciate its beginnings .
“ This was not the same as we ’ ve seen with the US state launches , where something goes from being outright illegal to it being live ,” says Gwilliam . “ You have this huge expansion of a market that didn ’ t exist before , unless it was offshore in Canada .”
“ They [ the regulator ] have given enough licences out . They ’ ve not restricted or anything like that . They ’ ve not put stupid restrictions on deposits .”
Gwilliam points out that Ontario represents a new challenge for the operators that have launched there , raising the bar for native and non-native brands – and the market as a whole .
“ The other thing that you ’ ve seen is new brands , because especially with the North American brands , you have your BetMGMs etc . who ’ ve come into
Ontario report