The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, Canada’s most populous province, has issued the first two licences that allow private operators to run sports betting and online gambling in this territory.
theScore and PointsBet are the first two entities to receive approval from the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, but more operators are expected to receive licences before the market officially opens on April 4.
TheScore, which was acquired by Penn National Gaming in 2021, announced the receival of the license with great pride, pointing out that being one of the first operators to receive a certificate proves that the company remains at the forefront of regulated internet gaming.
Penn National Gaming also announced that the company plans to migrate theScore onto a new platform that is currently being built. However, that won’t be ready in time for the launch in Ontario. The estimated time of completion for the new platform is somewhere in the third quarter of 2022.
PointsBet Canada, the subsidiary of the well-known Australian bookmaker, also announced that it had been approved for an online sportsbook licence in Ontario. Scott Vanderwel, the Chief Executive Officer of PointsBet Canada, said the approval is further proof of the operator’s focus on the Canadian market.