From illegal backrooms to regulated online platforms, the local wagering market has undergone a dramatic transformation. For decades, residents were limited to using government-run options like Proline and parlay bets. All of this changed in April 2022, when this Canadian province joined the nationwide legalization of single-event sports betting. This shift allowed the freedom of a wider variety of bookies and a more dynamic experience. Let’s delve deeper into the evolution from restricted gambling to the current wave of various wagering options.
1985 – Betting on single-game sports is prohibited
In 1985, Bill C-81 banned single game wagering to make sure that games and matches are not fixed. Individual provinces including this province were allowed to run lotteries. In October 1992, ProLine officially launched in the province.
July 2021 Single-game betting becomes lawful
In 2021, Bill C-218 (the Safe and Regulated Sports Betting Act) was introduced as an amendment to the Criminal Code on wagering. On June 29, 2021, the bill received royal assent, and single-game gambling was legalized for the first time in Canada. Later, on September 9, 2021, the AGCO finalized the regulatory standards for Ontario’s online gambling market.
April 2022 – Online gambling officially legal
On April 4, 2022, the province legalized its iGaming market. The same month appeared the first commercial sportsbooks and mobile apps. With the recently launched operators in the province, PaySafe announced its support for iGaming platforms and payments in the Great Lakes Province. The brand has been a popular banking option for Canadians for a long time, which will go on with the creation of new partnerships. In April 2022, residents have 30 official sports betting apps operating in the market.
Later, in December 2022, AGCO required all registered iGaming operators to quit wagers on Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) events for non-compliance issues with AGCO’s wagering integrity laws since suspicious betting patterns called for further investigation.
Early trends in Ontario’s gambling market (January – July 2023)
January 2023 research showed that residents placed the most numerous bets on teams in the recently regulated market on the Buffalo Bills and Toronto Blue Jays. A January 2024 report estimated Ontario iGaming market for the whole of the 2023 year at $17.2 billion in wagers. At the end of June 2023, Gaming Ontario (GO) reported to have reviewed 28 new licence requests.
In July 2023, iGaming published the first FY 2023-24 Q1 market report, which revealed that sports betting’s contribution of the total $14 billion spent online was only $2 billion. At the end of July 2023, STX became the first regulated Ontario betting exchange. At that time Heidi Reinhart was appointed as the new Chair by GO.
February 2024 AGCO bans Internet gambling ads made by athletes and celebrities
On August 29, 2023, AGCO prohibited the use of athletes for promoting online gaming in ads in Ontario. Much later, at the end of February 2024 the prohibition on athletes and celebrities in commercials and on-site copy that advertises gambling online in the Great Lakes Province went into effect right away.
May 28th – June 2nd – The RBC Canadian Open
On May 30, 2024, with men’s national gold championship, RBC Canadian Open underway, Ontario sports betters gave major support to the Canadian golfers. BetMGM Ontario claims that the event took more wagers from the province than from any other district where the brand operates. The company also noted that seven out of the top 20 players that won the event are Canadians.
