Ontario Is Preparing For Sports Betting Market With Rules

Ontario is the first province in Canada to release a draft of rules and regulations for its sports wagering industry.
The province will have a window for public comment and opinion on the draft in its current form opened until August 18.
Ontario would like to go live with their sportsbooks before the end of the year.

ONTARIO – On Wednesday, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) publicly released its draft of rules and regulations for a sports gaming industry in Ontario. This release is meant for public comment and opinion before a revised and hopefully, permanent set of rules for sports betting in Ontario can be finalized. The window for public comments ends on August 18. Interested parties can submit their remarks via the AGCO website, where the draft of rules can also be found.

Big News For Regulated Sportsbooks In Canada

In June, the Senate of Canada passed Bill C-218 that would amend the Criminal Code of the country to allow provinces to open sports wagering markets should they choose to do so. Ontario is the first province in the country to make moves as far as drafting rules and regulations that will ultimately launch their market before the end of the year.

Canada sports gaming is seen as an industry that is highly profitable as Canadians bet billions of dollars annually through various outlets. With regulated, in-country markets, the money stays in Canada which is revenue that can help to better the economy of any province that regulates sports wagering like Ontario will be doing.

Brick-and-mortar and mobile sportsbooks are expected to be seen in Ontario. Within the drafted rules and regulations, live in-game wagers will be available, along with DFS betting and esports. Outside of naming what is to be included within sports wagering menus by operators, there is also the part where the language addresses the issues of keeping the integrity of sporting events intact and the penalties for match-fixing as well as what operators should look out for in these areas as far as suspicious activity is concerned.

What’s To Come For Ontario

Regulated sports betting may come to Canada by way of Ontario first. Not only does the province have its rules drawn up and ready for public comments, at least three sports wagering operators have lined up to open in the area once licensing is available. TheScore, PointsBet, and BetMGM are all expected to be seen by locals when sportsbooks launch. And DraftKings has gotten its foot in the door through DFS and the inclusion of Canada for the company’s NFL DFS offerings.

Ontario hopes to go live with sportsbooks to get in on NFL betting action before the end of 2021.

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Christina Monroe

Christina has been writing for as long as she can remember and does dedicated research on the newly regulated sports betting market. She comes from a family of sports lovers that engage in friendly bets from time to time. During the winter months, you can find Christina baking cookies and beating the entire staff at Mario Kart…the N64 version of course.