Industry Reaction: Ontario goes live with sports betting and igaming

When Canadian legislators hit approve on single-event sports betting legislation in August 2021, few could have imagined how much US-based sportsbooks and European operators would switch on to the prospects afforded by the market.

As Canada’s second largest province, Ontario has taken huge strides to take advantage of this appetite, triggering a licensing process and regulatory framework that has survived a postponement and the souring of the milk by land-based operators prophesising the doom arising from legalization.

For the US operators, Ontario represents a crucial testing ground for greater Canadian expansion while also being a more efficient potential new jurisdiction, in that the appetites of Canadians and their US counterparts are quite similar and what works for one could work for the other.

For the European sportsbooks targeting Canada, Ontario provides an opportunity to transition out of a grey-market environment into regulated operations, something which is a prime objective for many of Europe’s biggest names.

Also, Ontario provides the European operators with the ability to start on a level playing field against their US cousins, something not available in the US, where they retain somewhat of a home court advantage.

Below are the thoughts of some of those operators, suppliers and stakeholders on the launch of the Ontario regulated market.

BetMGM CEO Adam Greenblatt:

“Today marks a significant milestone for BetMGM and a momentous occasion for sports fans and online players in Ontario. We’re confident that customers in Canada will enjoy the unique, interactive and world-class experience that only BetMGM can provide.”

888 CEO Itai Pazner:

“We are excited to launch in Ontario under a local licence, enabling us to leverage our full suite of data-driven marketing capabilities to build awareness of our differentiated and content-rich products in the province.

“Ontario is a large province with a population of more than 14 million people, many of whom are passionate sports and betting fans, and we see very exciting long-term growth opportunities in the market.

“Launching in attractive regulated markets like Ontario is a key element of the Market Focus pillar of our long-term corporate growth strategy to strengthen our position as a global online betting and gaming leader.”

LeoVegas CEO Gustaf Hagman:

“LeoVegas is already one of the strongest brands in Ontario, with a proven track record of operating in regulated markets, so we are thrilled to be going live on day one and to be among the first to have secured an operating agreement!

“We look forward to continuing to bring our safe, world-class gaming experiences to Ontario and have high expectations and growth ambitions in North America.”

Kindred Group country manager Amanda Brewer:

“It has been a great effort from the Kindred teams and our partners to get the Unibet brand live in Ontario on day one. This highlights our ambition in this significant market where we intend to continue to build on our international success.

“I am proud of the hard work everyone put in to ensure we launched on time. With such a wide range of sports, and a province that is full of sports fans, our customers can expect fresh, appealing promotions from Unibet on a regular basis.

“We’re in this for the long term, and we look forward to building our presence in Ontario over the coming months as we welcome new customers to the Unibet family!”

Canadian Gaming Association CEO Paul Burns:

“We support the government’s objectives for Ontario’s igaming model: to establish a competitive igaming market that fosters an exciting gaming experience while protecting consumers and keeping Ontarians safe.

“As of today, there is no more grey market in Ontario, only black. With the regulations in place, the province finally has the tools to deal with unlicensed operators.”

Kambi SVP of sales Sarah Robertson:

“Kambi is proud to be up and running, along with our partners, on day one of the regulated market opening in Ontario. Today’s launch into Canada marks another significant milestone in the growth of our company and extends our exceptional track record across North America and worldwide.

“As a Canadian native, I am particularly excited that Kambi’s world-class sportsbook, including our market-leading hockey offering and Game Parlay product, is now available in Ontario, one of the largest markets in North America, and we look forward to supporting the launch of additional partners over the coming months.”