Ontario iGaming Market Attracts More Than 40 Licensed Operators in Two Years

Ontario's regulated online gambling market celebrated its two-year anniversary on April 4, 2024, having launched on April 4, 2022 under a competitive licensing framework administered by iGaming Ontario, a subsidiary of the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG).

By the two-year mark, more than 40 licensed operators were active in the Ontario market, offering online casino products, sports betting, and poker. Licensed operators included major international brands including BetMGM, DraftKings, FanDuel, PokerStars, Bet365, BetRivers, LeoVegas, 888, Unibet, and many others. The breadth of operator participation was among the highest of any regulated iGaming market in North America.

iGaming Ontario published regular market performance reports showing quarterly gross gaming revenue growth throughout the first two years of operation. The Ontario market demonstrated that a well-designed competitive regulatory framework could successfully convert unregulated offshore betting activity into licensed, taxed, and player-protected legal wagering. The province levied a GGR-based fee on licensed operators, generating revenue for the provincial government while funding the OLG's broader mandate.

The Ontario model was widely cited by regulators and gambling industry stakeholders in other Canadian provinces as a template for how to design regulated iGaming markets. Discussions about potential markets in provinces including British Columbia, Alberta, and Quebec referenced Ontario's market data and regulatory design in early deliberations.

Ontario's two-year anniversary attracted industry commentary noting that the market had exceeded early projections for licensed operator participation and player adoption, with iGaming Ontario reporting that over one million registered Ontario players had wagered through licensed platforms in the first two years.