New licensees awaiting approval for their applications in the Ontario regulated market will have to cease operations in the ‘grey market’ from 31st October 2022 leading to potential blackouts for those operators pending regulation.
The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) had previously allowed operators who had submitted a license application to continue taking bets from Ontario residents whilst their application was processed.
This was to make the transition from unregulated to regulated as seamless as possible and avoid confusion for customers. However, the AGCO believes enough time has now been given to allow potential licensees to take advantage of this loophole and it will be closed from Halloween 2022.
From that time, anyone applying for a license must cease taking bets as an unlicensed operator pending approval of their application.
The steps to apply for a license in Ontario are two-fold. First an operator must register their interest with the AGCO before executing a operational agreement with their subsidiary iGaming Ontario.
As of October 10th 2022, 24 operators were licensed in Ontario. The latest to be registered in the final week of September were Bally Bet and Betsafe. Along with Pinnacle Sports they now await the issue of a license to start taking bets.
Find the latest Ontario online casinos.
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