The provincial government will open its market internationally with a court’s approval
Ontario has been exploring the possibility of allowing online gamblers in the province to play with individuals outside of Canada, a move that could impact the province’s online gaming industry. Premier Doug Ford’s government is seeking a legal ruling to determine whether such international play would be permissible under Canadian law. The issue has sparked a court case scheduled to be heard this fall in Toronto, triggered by an order from Ford’s cabinet earlier this year.
The central question raised by the Ontario Court of Appeal is whether online gaming and sports betting would still be lawful under the federal Criminal Code if users in Ontario were allowed to participate in games with people from other countries. The outcome of this case is of great interest to the online gaming industry, as it could open up hundreds of millions of dollars in potential wagers on poker and daily sports fantasy betting sites. Currently, these sites cannot legally allow Ontarians to join global player pools.
Paul Burns, president and CEO of the Canadian Gaming Association, believes that allowing international play could lead to a significant boost in Ontario’s poker business. Many Ontario poker players are currently bypassing provincially regulated sites in favor of international ones that offer higher-stakes games. A ruling in favor of Ontario’s proposal could bring these players back into the regulated system, increasing revenue for the province.
However, the proposal has faced opposition from lottery and gaming agencies in other provinces, including British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and the Atlantic provinces. These agencies are concerned that Ontario’s plan could lead to the spread of illegal online gambling in their jurisdictions. They have submitted evidence to the court showing that Canadian players outside Ontario can already access international websites of Ontario-regulated gambling companies, even though this is technically illegal.
Ontario’s move comes around growing complaints about the advertising practices of these online gambling companies, which are said to be aggressively targeting players in other provinces. The case also follows a recent ruling in a separate case brought by the Mohawk Council of Kahnawà, which upheld Ontario’s existing online gambling regime as lawful. Ontario was the first province to allow private companies to legally operate online gambling sites, and the outcome of this case could further shape the future of online gaming in Canada.
