Ontario

With sports betting already legal in the U.S., Canada took inspiration from different states to formulate its betting market. While Ontario does have retail casinos, the province decided not to require online operators to partner with a retail operator to obtain access to the market. This allows the province to offer over 30 online operators and remote registration.

To obtain a license, operators must pay a $100,000 licensing fee and a 20% tax rate on all sports betting revenue. These licensing fees are paid to the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, the governing body that distributes licenses to operators. Due to provincial gambling laws, once operators obtain a license, they are prohibited from making public ads for bonuses, new customer deals, and iCasino offers.

Aside from the lack of public advertisements, Ontario sports betting legislation is very open and has few restrictions. In addition to the general sports betting markets, Ontario bettors have the option to wager on politics and eSports and access social sportsbooks, betting exchanges, and DFS apps. It is worth noting that while eSports betting is legal, it is considered in Ontario to be an online casino game under regulatory guidelines created by the AGCO.

Outside of restrictions related to operators, there are multiple regulations that Ontario bettors need to be aware of. For starters, the legal age to place an online wager is 19. However, 18-year-olds in Ontario can place physical bets at OLG Lottery Terminals. Since each Canadian province controls its sports betting market, Ontario bettors must also ensure they are in the provincial lines when placing a bet on an AGCO-regulated platform.

Ontario’s wagering wave: Key sports betting & casinos-related news & updates

• June 27, 2025: Ontario's gaming regulator fines Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto over a chaotic after-party held on the casino floor in September 2024. The event followed a massive EDM concert that sparked widespread intoxication, criminal incidents, and overwhelmed security, forcing extra police and emergency response.

• June 26, 2025: Ontario's online gambling market set new records in May, surpassing $8 billion in monthly wagers for the first time since launching in 2022. Total bets across casino, sports, and poker hit $8.06 billion, up 29% year-over-year. Operators also reached a revenue high, with non-adjusted gross gaming revenue climbing 8% over April to $338 million—40.5% more than May 2024.

• June 19, 2025: Ontario's Minister of Tourism, Culture and Gaming, Stan Cho, rates the province's gaming sector a B+ but aims higher. Speaking at the Canadian Gaming Summit, he announces a broad review to boost economic performance, improve player safeguards, and better align online and land-based gambling operations.

• June 18, 2025: Betty signs a multi-year agreement with Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment to become an official online casino partner of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Raptors. Launching in October 2025, the partnership will blend fan engagement, community initiatives, and exclusive VIP experiences for Ontario players and sports enthusiasts.

• June 16, 2025: The AGCO fines Casino Days' parent company CAD 54,000 after finding its welcome bonus misleading and risky. A player complaint revealed the promo required depositing $2,000, wagering $70,000 in a week with strict bet limits, and typically losing thousands to qualify, prompting regulatory action.

• May 29, 2025: High Roller Technologies plans to enter Ontario's highly competitive iGaming market with 5,000 games, despite the presence of 49 licensed operators and 83 websites already there. CEO Clemes believes there's still room for newcomers who offer something unique, which he sees as High Roller's "elegance" in the crowded market.

Sports betting is truly just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the legal gambling market in Ontario. For starters, there are 11 retail betting facilities for sports betting, but 29 casinos in total throughout the province, each varying in size and offering a different number of games. Poker is available at some of those retail locations, but customers also have the option to partake in online poker on some of the prominent iCasinos that are active.

The lottery in different Canadian provinces, including Ontario, has been involved with sports betting far before single-game wagering was legal, and it remains very prevalent in ON. Outside of casinos and the lottery, horse race betting is a key aspect of the Ontario gambling market. Bettors do have the option to wager on horse races online, but they can also visit one of the 15 live racetracks or off-track betting locations in the province.