Several Operators And Suppliers Receive Ontario iGaming Licenses

Ontario, Canada’s most populous and richest province, is ready to welcome more private operators and suppliers on its iGaming market as the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario issued several new licenses.

iGaming Ontario, the subsidiary of Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario that is in charge of the province’s competitive gambling and betting market, has announced that it granted licenses to operate in the province to Bet365, FanDuel and Unibet, some of the biggest global brands in sports betting and online gambling.

In addition to those big names, other operators were granted licenses, including Annexio Limited, which will operate under the Lotogo brand, Coolbear, Fitzdares and NSUS Limited, which will operate under the World Series of Poker (WSOP) brand.

In recent weeks, big online casino brands such as LeoVegas, Rush Street Interactive, Rivalry, theScoreBet and 888 also secured licenses from iGaming Ontario. The province’s gambling market will formally launch on 4 April and the licenses run from that day through to 3 April 2024.

Along with the casino operators, suppliers also need licenses in order to provide their games and services in the province. Among the latest providers to secure a license in Ontario was Inspired Entertainment, a company that already had a presence in Canada as it provides online casino content to Loto-Québec.

Claire Osborne, Vice-President of Interactive at Inspired, said that Ontario’s demographics are better than states like New Jersey and Michigan because the province’s population is above 15 million people, representing “a significant market opportunity” for the company.

Inspired revealed it will have a portfolio of 25 games certified in time for the market launch on 4 April, including very popular titles such as Big Spin Bonus. Play’n Go also secured a supplier license for the Ontario market, and the company can now make its portfolio of games available to B2C operators in the province.

Canadian supplier Bragg Gaming Group also secured a license, making its incredibly vast portfolio of games available to operators in the province. Bragg Gaming owns Oryx Gaming, Wild Gaming, Streak Gaming and Spin Games, and has more than 5,000 games in its portfolio.

Source: “Bet365 and FanDuel among latest Ontario licensees”. iGaming Business. March 17, 2022.