Ontario didn’t just open its doors to online betting—it built a framework that many markets now treat as a reference design. Since launching its competitive iGaming market in April 2022, the province has paired consumer protection with open licensing, attracting the world’s most recognizable brands while pulling players into the regulated channel at scale.
Ontario’s regulated iGaming market went live on April 4, 2022, following years of policy work by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) and its subsidiary, iGaming Ontario (iGO).
Private operators can enter the market once they are registered by the AGCO and have an operating agreement with iGO—creating a legal pathway for commercial brands to serve Ontarians within a tightly supervised system.
The first wave included major global names, with bet365 among the day-one launches; others followed quickly as approvals rolled in. DraftKings, for example, secured its registration in May and switched on both sportsbook and casino products on May 18, 2022.
Meanwhile, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) continued to operate OLG.ca and its PROLINE+ sportsbook, which had already been among Canada’s earliest legal single-event betting offerings since August 27, 2021.
Together, these early movers signaled that Ontario’s hybrid model—Crown conduct-and-manage paired with private delivery—could achieve meaningful scale without sacrificing oversight.
Policy refinement didn’t stop at launch. AGCO’s Registrar’s Standards for Internet Gaming, the rulebook that underpins the market, came into force the same day and have been updated with detailed guidance on responsible gambling practices, including real-time risk monitoring.
This standards-based approach has helped keep compliance expectations clear while allowing technology and market practices to evolve.
Where Ontario stands apart is licensing philosophy. The province built a competitive, open licensing regime that lets multiple private operators go live under iGO’s conduct and management.
Elsewhere in Canada, most provinces still rely on lottery-run monopolies for online gaming—think Loto-Québec, BCLC/PlayNow (BC, Manitoba, Saskatchewan), and provincial lottery sportsbooks—although single-event betting is now broadly permitted.
The practical effect is that Ontario offers far more choice, while other provinces channel online play through a limited set of government platforms.
This openness has allowed a broad roster of brands to participate. Jackpot City, a long-standing international online casino, entered Ontario under iGO oversight, taking advantage of the province’s transparent standards and approvals process.
Sports Interaction, a Canadian brand now owned by Entain, likewise secured an AGCO internet gaming registration and launched in the regulated environment. These examples illustrate how Ontario’s rules enable both global and homegrown operators to compete on a level, supervised playing field.
The numbers tell the consumer-protection story. In April 2024, a study commissioned by AGCO and iGO reported that over 86% of Ontario online gamblers were playing on regulated sites, a dramatic shift away from the pre-2022 “grey market.” Migration at that scale reflects the combination of brand availability, clear rules, and visible enforcement.
Ontario’s model is increasingly cited as a playbook for regulated expansion: a Crown entity (iGO) legally conducts and manages gaming while contracting with private operators that meet uniform, risk-based standards enforced by the AGCO.
Legal practitioners and industry analysts highlight this structure as a compliant way to introduce competition without losing public oversight. It’s also a model that global brands, including Betano, BetMGM, and bet365, use to demonstrate their ability to operate under stringent North American standards when pursuing licenses in new jurisdictions.
Policymakers beyond Canada are watching closely. Coverage in international media and legal commentary has framed Ontario as a potential “blueprint” for markets seeking to transition from monopoly or grey-market conditions to robust, consumer-first regulation.
The province’s ongoing court reference on “open liquidity” (international shared player pools) further shows a willingness to clarify evolving questions in law rather than let uncertainty fester—another signal of regulatory maturity.
Finally, Ontario’s operator directory continues to expand under iGO, with dozens of approved operators and sites, which underscores both market depth and active supervision.
The directory offers transparent, public confirmation of who is regulated—a simple but powerful trust signal for consumers and partners.
1. Clear accountability with market choice. By statute, a provincial operator must conduct and manage gaming; Ontario satisfies this via iGO while allowing private brands to deliver products under contract. That structure keeps public accountability at the center while leveraging private-sector innovation.
2. Standards over prescriptive micromanagement. The AGCO’s risk-based Registrar’s Standards require robust KYC, data security, game integrity, advertising limits, and responsible gambling tools—but allow operators to meet those obligations with modern tech stacks. This mix helps keep the rules technology-neutral and adaptable.
3. Channelization through choice and enforcement. The rapid rise to 86% regulated play didn’t happen by messaging alone; it’s the result of many recognizable brands operating legally, clear consumer information (such as iGO’s operator list), and consistent enforcement against non-compliant activity.
4. Continuous improvement. Ontario has continued to refine guidance, particularly around responsible gambling (e.g., behavioral risk monitoring), and is proactively seeking clarity on cross-border liquidity and other emerging issues. That iterative posture helps maintain both investor confidence and public trust.
Ontario has demonstrated that it’s possible to modernize online gambling without compromising the public interest. The province combined open licensing with firm, transparent standards, kept the Crown’s conduct-and-manage role intact, and welcomed both international leaders and Canadian brands into a uniformly regulated environment.
Players benefit from choice and safer play; regulators gain visibility; and legitimate operators compete on compliance and product quality rather than on loopholes.
For jurisdictions considering reform, the takeaway is straightforward: build a standards-based framework, preserve public accountability, invite qualified competition, and publish who’s legal.
Ontario’s experience shows that such a model not only channels players to safer sites but also earns international credibility—a foundation for sustainable, compliant growth in a sector that moves quickly. On the evidence to date, the Ontario model is the way forward in betting regulation and compliance.
