As the iGaming market in Canada continues to gain momentum, the legalization of single-game betting events has propelled more players and operators into the market. As an economy on its own, Canada saw the need to regulate this market as it aims to fully embrace iGaming. Most of these regulations are implemented on a provincial basis, and Ontario is leading the country in regulating iGaming.
Ontario has a good reason to fully focus on regulating this market sector, considering that in the year 2023, close to $1 billion was spent on online gambling. Ontario’s iGaming market has generated over $2 billion in revenue in 2023-2024, making it one of the leading gambling markets in Canada and North America. The increase in revenue can be attributed to Ontario’s gambling regulations, especially its annual tax rate, which is among the lowest in the world. This, among other reasons, has made Ontario’s online gambling market an attractive and accommodating space for players and operators.
Gambling in Ontario; Quick Facts.
Here are some quick facts many people don’t know about gambling in Ontario:
● The Alcohol and Gambling Commission of Ontario(AGCO) regulates all horse racing, alcohol, and gambling operations in the province.
● Nearly 38% of Ontario’s population are active gamblers, making it the province with the highest percentage of gamblers.
● The popular casino games among Ontarians are slots, roulette, electronic table games, and cards.
● Gambling regulations prohibit operators from advertising inducements, bonuses, and credits.
● Advertised content must not be misleading nor make claims directly or indirectly.
Regulating Online Casinos in Ontario
The Canadian Parliament passed the C-218 bill into law in June 2021, allowing each province to develop a regulated casino and sports betting market. A year later, in April 2022, Ontario launched a legal online gambling market, making it the first province to do so.
As a result, every gambling operator wishing to launch its operations in Ontario must obtain a license from AGCO. This means passing strict testing carried out by iGaming Ontario (iGO), which is the regulatory arm of Ontario. You can use Casinoontario.net to find some of the operators who have successfully been licensed to operate in Ontario.
The regulator thoroughly checks if each operator has implemented sufficient security measures and safety protocols to protect players. It also ensures that operators offer fair games and encourage responsible gambling.
Before these regulations were put in place, Ontarians could only gamble at land-based casinos. They could also place parlay sports bets through the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation(OLG), which was backed by the government. These new regulations have opened up the market to enhance accessibility to gambling services for both players and operators.
How is Ontario Different from Other Established iGaming Markets?
Ontario’s gambling market follows Canada’s traditional standards of the iGaming landscape. The market regulations feature among other things, the Proceeds of Crime(Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act and Report Analysis Centre standards. These standards incorporate KYC policies as well as Anti-Money Laundering standards.
Through iGO, operators access Ontario’s gambling market as private contractors operating on the government’s behalf. Since both parties work in tandem (iGO and operators), they each significantly advance the future of Ontario’s gambling market.
Compliance in Ontario’s Gambling Market.
If you’re not familiar with these regulations, you may find it challenging to comply in Ontario’s iGaming market. The province has stricter regulations, which many say go beyond other markets’ standards.
First, the rules state that players must be 19 years of age or older to play casino games and place sports bets. Additionally, individuals should be 18 years and above to play lottery and bingo. Finally, individuals within Ontario’s borders should enable geolocation access by gambling sites to play on licensed platforms.
For operators, the regulations are more demanding. For starters, all operators must consider the overall PCMLTFA and FINTRAC standards, which apply to the whole country. Then, there are the province-specific regulations and the iGO and ACGO standards. Operators must be very keen on following the Ontario regulations because some are far-reaching compared to FINTRAC. These regulations are meant to ensure that operators do not support money laundering activities and safeguard players’ personal data. Additionally, operators must adhere to underage gambling prevention guidelines.
Responsible Gambling in Ontario
Key among AGCO’s regulations are the rules about responsible gambling. To promote this, AGCO has long collaborated with Ontario’s responsible gambling community, including the PlaySmart Centre. In consultation with these communities, the regulator has created an inclusive set of standards to enable operators to recognize and assist players on the brink of harmful gambling behavior.
Licensed operators must now actively display responsible gambling content and direct players to support links. It is also a requirement for websites to have a 24/7 live customer support option. Other tools to promote responsible gambling should include:
● Deposit limits
● Time-based limits
● Self-exclusion
● Breaks in play
To wrap it all up, Ontario has made efforts in public education to ensure vulnerable groups and, especially youths, are not targeted by gambling promotions.
With Canada’s gambling industry forecast to hit $28 billion in the next five years, we will likely see more regulations aimed at making betting profitable and safe for all parties involved.
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