The most populous Canadian province is working hard on expanding its betting offerings. Ontario’s provincial lotteries have already started offering single-event wagering in summer 2021. The next step is to take sports betting online. The AGCO (Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario) is planning to end the monopoly that the provincial lottery has on sports betting. Instead of having a single operator offering online betting services, the Ontario lawmakers prefer the open-market model. The licensing process is long and thorough, meaning that we will probably have to wait a few more months to find out which sportsbooks will be granted the Ontario gaming license. However, there are a few candidates that already stand out. You can check them out in the list below.
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Popular Betting Apps in Ontario
It’s estimated that the number of smartphone users is going to go over 32 million in Canada, a country that about 39 million people call home.
This is one of the main reasons why all the new Ontario betting sites will probably have their mobile versions as well. Furthermore, those sportsbooks will probably have their native betting apps as well.
Judging by the experience from the United States and other parts of the world, Ontario bettors should feel excited about the following betting apps coming to their province:
Bet365 Ontario App – Bet365 would not be one of the world’s most successful sportsbooks if it didn’t give the players exactly what they want. Convenience is one of the top priorities, which is why the bet365 developers have created a fast and user-friendly betting app. When it launches, Ontario bettors will be able to place bets using this app, watch live streams, make one-touch payments, and so on.
Betway Ontario App – The sportsbook that is famous for its interesting (and very lucrative) promos, also has a superb betting app. It’s fast, smooth, and packed with useful features, such as Touch ID login, for example.
Unibet Ontario App – User convenience was on the mind of developers who created the Unibet sportsbook app. They made it pleasant to the eye, as well as incredibly fast and easy to use. Even if you’re a beginner when sports betting is concerned, you should have no problems figuring out how the Unibet app works.
Ontario Bill & Law – Latest News
A new era in Ontario’s sports betting universe started in June 2021, when Canada’s lawmakers passed Bill C-218. By doing that, they lifted the ban on single-sports wagering around the entire country. As a result, Ontario’s provincial lottery started accepting single-game wagers almost straight away.
The same bill made another important change to the Canadian gaming legislation. It put the provinces in charge of making the decision regarding the legality of online sports betting.
Ontario’s lawmakers gave online betting the green light, opting for the open-market model. Instead of letting the provincial lottery have a monopoly over the online betting business, Ontario decided to let other operators join in.
The latest news is that the AGCO, which is the governmental body in charge of everything related to betting in Ontario, has already started accepting license bids.
From Monday, September 13, 2021, individual operators are allowed to apply for the license. Those that match the criteria set by the AGCO will get licensed, after which they can start working on launching their Ontario sportsbooks.
Ontario’s New iGaming Market
The reason why Ontario’s lawmakers decided to change their iGaming landscape is that they wanted to create a safe environment for their bettors. Their vision is to make a market in which only licensed operators will be allowed to provide their services to bettors from Ontario.
That hasn’t been the case so far. Instead, Ontario betting fans who wanted to place online sports wagers could only do it at offshore betting sites.
Without a legit license, those sportsbooks do not fall into Canadian jurisdiction. In layman’s terms, this means that if an Ontario-based bettor has an issue with an offshore sportsbook, their government would not be able to help them out.
However, those days are over now. At the moment, Ontario bettors can make wagers on the internet using the website/app of the provincial lottery. Furthermore, in a few months’ time, they’ll be able to do it at licensed online bookmakers, like bet365, Unibet, or Betway.