The Ontario online gambling market will open on April 4, yet what this means for online poker is still up in the air. On April 4, the regulated Ontario online gaming market will go live. Private companies who have received a license and executed an operating agreement with the Ontarian regulators will be able to offer residents a full suite of regulated online casino gaming, sports betting, and poker.
Yet, even with the gates set to open on Monday, a lot is still unknown about who will actually launch, and with what products. To date, 16 operators have received licenses from the AGCO, according to a report from Canada Gaming Review on Thursday . However, this is a far cry from the 30 or so originally expected. The official list of registered internet gaming operators remains “coming soon,” and it is unclear if any operator has successfully executed its gaming license with the iGO — including comprehensive RG checks — the mandatory last step before going live.
In particular, little concrete information is known about online poker launches. We know that online poker in Ontario is segregated. We know that tables will be CAD-denominated. There are heavy restrictions on how online gambling can be promoted by either operators or their affiliates. But beyond that, operators are hesitant to comment on the record with PRO exactly what is planned for next week.
From what we understand, two operators look far along in their preparation, another surprise new online poker operator also looks set to launch, while another now appears to be planning to delay, and others may well remain serving the market from offshore, at least in the short-term.
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