What is Ontario iGaming?

Ontario iGaming is Canada's regulated open-market for online casino and sports betting, launched on 4 April 2022, in which private operators can legally offer real-money gambling to Ontario residents. The market is regulated by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), while iGaming Ontario (iGO), an AGCO subsidiary, acts as the conduct-and-manage entity that signs commercial operating agreements with each registered operator. The model is notable because it broke Ontario away from the provincial-monopoly approach used elsewhere in Canada, letting dozens of competing brands operate under one framework instead of a single government site. To take part, an operator must register with the AGCO, meet responsible-gambling and player-protection standards, and enter an iGO agreement; iGO then takes a share of gross gaming revenue. Worked example: in its first 12 months the market handled roughly CA$35.6 billion in total wagers and produced about CA$1.4 billion in gaming revenue. On a single CA$100 bet placed at a regulated operator paying 95% RTP on a slot, roughly CA$5 is retained as house margin over time, part of which flows through the operator's revenue and, via the iGO agreement, back to the province. For affiliates, only operators registered with the AGCO may be promoted to Ontario players, and provincial advertising rules restrict bonus and inducement messaging in public marketing, so compliant creative matters. Players should confirm a site appears on iGO's registered-operator list before depositing.