iGaming Ontario, the subsidiary of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) continues to issue licenses to private operators expecting to take bets from gamblers in the province from 4th April when the new market opens up.
In the last week two huge names have secured their licenses: Bet365 (brand name of the UK-based Hillside) and Fan Duel and Unibet (owned by Flutter Entertainment who also own Paddy Power and Betfair).
These two join a now formidable list of operators with decades of experience in other regulated markets that means the future looks bright for Ontario.
Other betting firms to have been granted a license recently include 888 Holdings, Leo Vegas, BetRivers, TheScore and Rivarly.
iGaming Ontario added Annexio Ltd (Lotogo), Coolbear, Fitzdares and the World Series of Poker brand to the list this week too.
Each of these operators will be able to start taking bets from 4th April, provided they are ready to do so. Those who have applied but not yet received a license will be asked to stop operations until their application is approved, or they risk rejection.
MORE ON THE NEW LICENSEES
Bet365 is a privately-run betting firm from Stoke in the United Kingdom. They have been operational since 2000 with sports betting, casino, poker and bingo. Bet365 are licensed in the States with a number of partnership deals including Hard Rock Casino in New Jersey and Century Casinos in Colardo.
For sports fans they offer a huge range of markets to place bets on, including a wide variety through their downloadable app. Their experience in the UK and European markets means they will offer one of the best products and customer rewards programs in the new Ontario market.
Fan Duel started out life as a Fantasy Betting operation in the States in 2009 but has since developed a fully-fledged gambling platform on which they offer a very good range of sports betting markets. In the US they are up there with Draft Kings and BetMGM as the leading providers of betting in each of the regulated states. Like Bet365, their experience in other newly regulated markets will put them in a good position to offer consumers in Ontario what they want when bets are open from 4th April.
Unlike Bet365 and Fan Duel, Kambi does not take bets directly but rather licenses out their own sports betting platform to B2C gaming operators. They are licensed in several other important European jurisdictions including the UK, Malta and Alderney. Their partners include Bede Gaming and Betplay.
Speaking about their successful license application, CEO Kristian Nylen, said: “I am delighted that Kambi has become one of the first sportsbook providers to obtain registration from the AGCO.
“This landmark achievement is a testament to Kambi’s expertise and exemplary track record in compliance, and we are excited to be in a position to deliver our market-leading sportsbook technology to our partners’ customers in Ontario from day one.”
Keep checking our news pages for the latest updates on regulation and licensing in Ontario.
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