Ontario is one of the most liberal provinces in Canada, and it has been home to many land-based casinos that provide players gambling activities and betting opportunities! Casino Ontario online offers has never been bigger than it is at this moment, as it offers a lot of places where you can gamble from the comfort of your home. Top Ontario Casinos: See reviews and photos of casinos & gambling attractions in Ontario, Canada on Tripadvisor. PlayOLG is an online casino that is aimed at residents of Ontario. It offers a good selection of casino games and also has access to a number of different lottery competitions. There are a number of features available at PlayOLG, with players given access to promotions and lots of other bonuses. Online gambling is among the preferred ways of gaming nowadays, as it is a convenient way for players to try their luck and potentially win big cash prizes. Ontario’s Progressive Conservative government showcased the blueprint.

AGCO to Conduct and Manage Online Gaming

Among the significant changes proposed in Ontario's pandemic-recovery budget bill (released November 5, 2020) are a suite of revisions to the legislation regulating online gaming/gambling in the province. Notably, these revisions would grant the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) the authority to conduct and manage online gaming through a subsidiary, in addition to continuing its role as provincial regulator.

To date, the ability to conduct and manage online gaming in the province has been reserved for the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG), who has made its own attempts to engage the private sector in this space from time to time. The draft legislation does not remove OLG's mandate to conduct online gaming, but merely permits the AGCO to do so alongside OLG. It remains to be seen exactly what the AGCO would do differently from OLG in an attempt to capture some of the unregulated grey-market within a provincially sanctioned legal framework, but the initial press release from the AGCO indicates that the AGCO will be holding consultations with interested stakeholders to form a competitive and safe online gaming model.

Single-Event Sports Wagering in Canada

Online Gambling Rules Ontario

While the legalization of single-event sports wagering is not within the control of the Ontario provincial government, Ontario's 2020 budget does prompt the federal government to pay heed to the issue. Specifically, the budget remarks that legal single-event sports wagering would support the growth of a competitive online gambling market in the province and, as a popular form of wagering, would also benefit other parts of the gaming sector.

The calls for legalizing single-event sports wagering in Canada are not new. Attempts were made by the federal NDP with bills in 2011 and 2016, but both failed. On November 3, 2020, Conservative MP Kevin Waugh began the debate at second reading on his Private Member's Bill, the Safe and Regulated Sports Betting Act, with the same goal. Mr. Waugh's bill was previously introduced in February 2020 but was terminated due to the prorogation of Parliament on August 18, 2020.

It remains to be seen how Mr. Waugh's bill will fair in this sitting, but clearly support for the idea is growing. In addition to the focus from the Ontario government, in June 2020 the Commissioners of the NBA, NHL, MLB, MLS and the CFL issued a joint statement supporting an amendment to Canada's federal laws that would authorize provinces to offer betting on single sporting events. Mr. Waugh points out that current federal laws put Canada at a significant competitive disadvantage with the United States, where 21 states have legalized sports betting, including border states Michigan, New York and Washington. Mr. Waugh says that, at present, 48 states have either legalized single-event betting or have a bill before the state legislature seeking to do so. See What Are the Odds for Single Event Sports Wagering in Canada? regarding some of those legislative efforts south of the border.

What Is Next

With budget deficits hovering around record highs both federally and provincially, the focus on government revenue generation has never been greater. While the idea of generating such revenue through provincially-conducted online gaming is not new, the renewed and simultaneous focus on the issue at both levels of government is, as is the potential entrance of the AGCO into the fray. Interested businesses and prospective service providers should take note and make efforts to participate and engage with the AGCO as soon as possible in order to take advantage of these potential changes.

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.

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Online Gambling Ontario Legal

Ontario is considered one of the more progressive provinces in Canada. It’s got an MLS team, two NHL teams, three CFL teams, and the only NBA and MLB squads in the Great White North. Also, with over 14 million, Ontario is the most populated area and the second-largest in total area with an amazing number of lakes, 250,000 freshwater lakes.

With so many sports fans, it’s a shame that they have to deal with some really inferior sports betting products served by the government which can also be found in the other provinces as well all over Canada. This is why some of the wiser sports betting enthusiasts try to discover some better online options that are not tied to the official sports betting lottery in the country.

Recommended Canadian Sports Betting Sites In Ontario

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Sports Betting in Ontario

Contents

The residents of Ontario have access to some of the best sports teams in the country. Both pro and second level teams are very much exciting. Unfortunately, the wagering system provided and controlled by the government is of a lower caliber. It doesn’t offer the same excitement as off-shore online sports betting options do.

The current OLG Proline betting system provided is considered caveman today because people have to use paper and pencil to complete their selection process. This form is still present in some other countries too, but that doesn’t mean it’s supported.

And although wagers can be placed fairly easy by going to the nearest retail store which can be any store, there are much better and more accessible options online that doesn’t include leaving your home to make the bet. To make things worse, you can’t do that through the OLG Proline website. You can preview the selections list, but you still have to make the trip to place the bet.

The main features that characterize this system are:

• Five different odds categories
• No single game betting is allowed
• Tickets have to be purchased in your local retail store

But, the biggest drawback is not the trip making or the no single game betting rule. It’s the odds. They are really inferior when comparing them to the odds found at off-shore sports betting websites, where the competition is fiercer, which results with more favorable odds. It’s as if the OLG Proline group is guided by the “something is better than nothing” thought.

On top of that, some of the betting rules are downright unfair. For example, NFL bettors must choose whether the visitor or home team will win, which is OK. But, they have to predict that the team will win by at least 8 points. They can also make a Tie bet, but in that case the game must be decided by 3 points or less. In the online sports betting world this is considered completely unfair.

Gambling Law in Ontario

Despite all of the drawbacks with the government controlled sports betting lottery, Canada is considered one of the more relaxed countries towards gambling and sports betting. All gambling forms are legally regulated with the 1992 Gaming Control Act. With the Act, a way was made open for the first ever land-based casino in the province of Ontario.

So, sports betting is legal. And not only offline, but online too. There is a legal grey are in Ontario and all over Canada regarding online betting, which has not been addressed in any provincial law. The law says that it’s illegal for players to bet at unlicensed betting houses, but considering all off-shore sports betting websites are licensed somewhere, this does not concern bettors.

As a result, online betting is considered legal, and the citizens of Ontario or Canada in global are not persecuted for placing wagers at off-shore sports betting websites. On top of that, their winnings are not taxed at all.

Licensing Authorities in Ontario

The gaming law is enforced by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario. Some provinces share the same agency, but Ontario has its own. It was established in 1998 and its job is to care for the public interest and oversee all gambling activities so that they are considered socially responsible.

Population of Ontario

Ontario is the second-largest province in Canada in total area, but the biggest in population. This province has 14 million residents and accounts for nearly 40% of all Canadians. The majority of Ontarians are of European decent, which means English, Scottish, Italian, Irish and French. The majority of the people in Ontario consider themselves Catholic and Protestant, but there is also a great deal that have not professed any religious affiliation. The official language is English, while French is largely spoken in the northeastern parts.

Offline Betting Venues in Ontario

All of the offline venues that provide gambling services are owned and co-owned by the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation. They manage 10 land-based casinos and directly operate with:

The other are operated by private companies which are licensed by the OLG such as Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort, Caesars Windsor, and Niagara. When sports bettors want to play some slots or table games, they can do that outside of the casinos too at some of the racetracks across the province. There are also poker rooms in each of the 10 land-based casinos operated by OLG. The largest of all venues is the Casino Niagara.

Conclusion

Ontarians like other Canadians have almost total freedom where to bet on sports. They have the option to make Proline bets, which is considered an inferior betting system, or to bet online where the variety is much bigger and the odds are much more favourable. At the moment sports betting is available only through retail stores, so players can’t bet on sports in casinos like in Las Vegas.