It’s been a little more than four months since Ontario legalized online gambling, allowing its residents to engage in real money games on the Internet. Gone are the days of the OLG monopoly; say hello to the world's biggest gambling brands right at your fingertips.
US mega corporations like MGM Grand, Caesars, and DraftKings, as well as overseas brands such as PartyCasino, Unibet, and LeoVegas, were the first to secure an Ontario license, and more operators are expected to follow over the next few months.
“For Ottawans or Ontarians in general, the legalization of online gambling is a huge change. Casino and betting aficionados can now legally register and log in at international gambling websites, access thousands of online casino games, and bet on hundreds of live sporting events.”
Here's what the new laws mean for Ontarians.
For over two decades, online casinos and bookmakers were prohibited in Ontario, just like they still are in all other provinces and territories.
The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) built the only exception, a corporation owned by the government of Ontario. On the OLG website, players can access luck-based games such as online slots or lottery games, as well as sports betting options. However, as you can imagine, the choice is limited.
Through Ontario's gambling reform, the landscape has changed significantly. Today, players can sign up with as many gambling websites as they wish, as long as they hold a valid AGCO permit.
Brands like BetMGM, part of the world-famous MGM Grand Resorts, offer a full sportsbook, online casino, and poker rooms to players of Ontario. If this doesn't satisfy, leave and give Caesars a try; no questions asked. There are more operators to log in with, and you can find them all at casinologinca.com.
It doesn't stop there because you can not only register with several websites but also access far more games than ever before.
While OLG offered titles from all types of games, they only partnered with IGT, SG Digital, and Netent. As such, players perhaps had access to about 100 games. Through the new gambling rules, this number has easily tenfold.
At PartyCasino alone, an official AGCO licensee, you can play over 750 online slots from developers such as Pragmatic Play, Blueprint, Microgaming, Scientific Gaming, and BTG's Megaways slots.
Just like casino games, sports betting is limited at OLG. Through their partner ProLine+, Ontarians can bet on events from 11 sports categories, including football and ice hockey. Today, people in Ottawa and other cities are spoiled for choice.
At BetMGM, for example, you can place bets in nearly 30 categories, including rugby, volleyball, table tennis, or water polo. All major sports, such as basketball, tennis, and MMA, are also available.
Besides the number of events, the types of bets have also increased. Outright winners, game bets, set bets, handicaps, number of goals, and halftime scores; you can quite literally live bet on anything.
Ontario's new gaming rules are handing gambling back to its citizens, and it's a step long overdue. The credit belongs to the government's working groups and the AGCO. At record speed, they introduced laws enabling Ontarians to gamble online legally and do so safely.
Besides easy access to thousands of games, players can also utilize tools to help control their gambling habits, such as deposit and time limits, cool-down periods, and self-exclusion.
It's possible the new laws need adjustments further down the line, but the first four months can be seen as a complete success for both players and the government.
