- Ontario AG Doug Downey is seeking legal approval to open the province’s online poker tables to players from the U.S.
- The move follows Pennsylvania’s surge in online poker revenue after joining a multi-state network.
TORONTO – Ontario is making a push to open its online poker tables to players from the U.S. and other legal international markets. The announcement came from Ontario Attorney General Doug Downey at the NCLGS summer meeting, where he revealed the province has filed an appeal requesting legal clearance to allow players from approved jurisdictions to join Ontario poker games.
Just Look At Pennsylvania
While unprecedented for cross-border play, there’s a clear roadmap for what this could mean. In May, Pennsylvania officially joined the U.S. multi-state online poker network, and the impact was immediate. U.S. online poker revenue surged more than 20% year-over-year, marking the market’s strongest growth month in years. WSOP and BetMGM saw 50% gains, while operators like PokerStars that delayed integration saw a 23% drop in revenue.
The reason? Liquidity.
Larger, combined player pools offer more games, bigger tournaments, and consistent action, even during off-peak hours. The inclusion of Pennsylvania betting transformed the U.S. poker experience practically overnight, proving that shared liquidity benefits not just operators, but players most of all.
Ontario is now trying to apply that lesson across borders. But legal and regulatory hurdles remain. U.S. states would need to agree to share liquidity with a non-U.S. jurisdiction, something that has never been attempted.
Further, the Wire Act and individual state compacts would need to be navigated carefully.
Still, Ontario’s move signals momentum. If successful, this could mark a historic expansion of North American poker liquidity and bring a new era of competition to a market that has long been fragmented.
