Canada has had betting in place for a long time. But as there are different provinces in the country, things are a little different in each one. One of these is Ontario. Unlike other provinces, Ontario has taken great pains in creating a safe, licensed gambling industry.
It’s not surprising that these steps have been taken as Ontario is the province with the largest number of people. With a big population and high tourism, it makes sense to properly legalize gambling in this area. Of course, not everyone is happy about it, but with regulations in place, it can be better managed.
Regulated gambling
Ontario was the first, and currently only, province with fully regulated gambling in Canada. The move happened in April 2022 after many years of planning and preparation. This move meant that betting sites, including sports betting and casinos, had to gain a licence from the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario. Not only that, but fantasy sports, betting exchanges, novelty betting, esports, and more are all covered, making this an incredibly comprehensive step.
When it comes to casinos, the options are equally vast. With games like slots and bingo all covered, other options like live games are also available. In fact, for those who don’t want to brave the casino scene in, for example, Niagara Falls, then increasingly popular options with residents include the ability to explore generous bonus offers at Casino Days and other licensed online casinos and use them to play live games on their legal sites.
There are, of course, slight nuances within the betting options. For instance, virtual sports are considered casino games when it comes to the regulations, rather than as actual sports. Additionally, while there are many different payment options permitted in Ontario, with the legalization of gambling, no cryptocurrencies can be used to make payments. It’s not legal tender in the province and is just not accepted.
A brief history of Ontario’s betting scene
As mentioned, legal and regulated betting went live in the province in 2022. The regulations are still very new, with only two years of operation at this time. Ontario has not stopped there. It is continuing to improve and make changes within the regulations, though.
Even now in 2024, there are changes and improvements being made. For instance, there are now plans to create a self-exclusion program that can (and will), be applied to all operators within the province. On top of that, there is a move in the Canadian Senate to put forward a bill to create nationwide guidelines. The point of these would be to reduce and restrict the amount of sports betting advertising permitted. Finally, within Ontario itself, as there are many land-based casinos available, the Ontario Premier is looking to clean-up Niagara Falls in particular, to make it more in line with Las Vegas in terms of a gambling and entertainment destination within Ontario.
Important rules
If you’re planning on betting in this province, there are various rules to be aware of. Similar to many other countries, provinces and states, Ontario has a strict age limit on gambling. For games like lotteries or bingo, 18 is the permitted age. However, players need to be 19+ to play online casino games or place bets on sporting events.
For those within Ontario, players must turn on geolocation software. This is to allow the betting site access to the location of the player. It’s essential that the casino knows the player is within Ontario when they are accessing and playing games. Using a VPN will not help players get around this block. On top of this, anyone looking to gamble online in Ontario also needs to be a Canadian citizen within the province. This rule does not apply to land-based casinos, as Niagara Falls is a popular betting destination, particularly for Americans.
Finally, all sites must provide responsible gambling legislation and resources to aid those who have a problem.