As Ontario Prepares for Launch of iGaming, Sports Betting, Not All Operators Ready to Go

With commercial iGaming and sports betting in Ontario launching Monday, at least 16 gaming operators have been licenced in the country’s largest province.

Below is the list of licenced operators, according to Canadian Gaming Business. Bettors in Ontario are required to be at least 19 years old to use the following sites legally:

• Annexio’s LottoGo
• BetMGM
• Colbet
• FanDuel Ontario
• Fitzdares
• bet365
• LeoVegas
• Ontario Lottery and Gaming (OLG)
• PointsBet Canada
• Rivalry
• Leo Vegas’ Royal Panda
• BetRivers
• theScore Bert
• Unibet
• World Series of Poker
• 888

On its website, iGaming Ontario urges bettors to look for its logo when using an online platform to wager. The logo includes two squares resembling dice, in green, blue and yellow.

The logo indicates the online site is being offered by a legal, authorized and regulated gaming operator, the website states.

iGaming Market Expected to Expand

On Monday, not every gaming operator will be ready to launch, said Raymond Kahnert, spokesman for the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario.

“Some are more ready than others,” he told Gambling.com. “This means Ontario’s new iGaming market will steadily expand in the weeks and months following April 4.”

Unibet announced it will not launch on April 4 and instead shoot for April 11.

New York Lawmaker Eyes iGaming

With a population of more than 14.5 million, Ontario would be the fifth most-populous U.S. state, behind New York. The Empire State has 19.5 million residents.

In New York, bettors can wager in person inside upstate casinos and on mobile devices such as smartphones.

Though iGaming is illegal in New York, state Sen. Joseph P. Addabbo Jr., D-Queens, has introduced legislation that would allow people to go online to bet on table games and slots.

The senator told Gambling.com that iGaming ultimately will be legalized in New York, if not this year, then at some point in the future.

Ontario Commercial Wagering Approved Last Summer

Last summer, Canadian provinces were authorized to offer single-event sports betting. An April 4 date was set to launch this type of commercial online wagering in Ontario.

In the past, bettors could only make parlay wagers through provincial lotteries.