Will Other Canadian Gaming Jurisdictions Partner with the AGCO?
- 22 Sep 2025
- Gambling News
Storylines on Canadian igaming begin to take shape as summer gives way to fall. Most people's primary objective is the opening of a new, open-regulated market in Alberta that is modeled after Ontario and where major operators like FanDuel, Bet365, DraftKings, PointsBet Canada, and theScore Bet hope to enter headfirst.
Launch of the Alberta Market in 2026
Nobody knows for sure when that launch will take place. Dale Nally, Minister of Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction, informed the audience at the Canadian Gaming Summit in Toronto in June that while the province was unable to provide a specific launch date at this time, it would happen "early next year."
Paul Burns, the president and CEO of the Canadian Gaming Association, was contacted by Casino.org today to inquire about any updates regarding a specific date. Burns responded that he had not.
Exact Timing is Anyone’s Guess
“The province is continuing to do their work,” Burns said. “There are a few stages they need to work through, and there are no timelines to those stages. We are assisting them as best we can. We want them to get it right. As time ticks on regulatory standards will be shared, but we have to get more into the process to get a better idea of what timing is.”
Hence, aside from the Alberta government, no one is certain. Alberta Gaming, Liquor & Cannabis (AGLC) is similar to Ontario, where PROLINE is run by the government-owned Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation. The province's Play Alberta online casino and sports betting site is run by the AGLC.
The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) is the province's own regulatory body. With the implementation of its new regulatory system, Alberta will have its own regulator in the form of the Alberta iGaming Corporation, a new government organization created under Bill 48 (the iGaming Alberta Act).
A Bit of the Action
However, what about other provinces in Canada? One senior industry source brought up an intriguing scenario: other provinces might want to tie their wagon to the AGCO in order to expedite their own launch, rather than establishing their own regulator, after realizing the money that Ontario's igaming market is bringing in for the government through fees and taxes.
By all accounts, the Ontario model, which went live in April 2022, has been a success.
Finance ministers in other Canadian governments are undoubtedly examining the Ontario igaming model and stating that they would like a piece of the action in this era of revenue uncertainty brought on mostly by U.S. trade tariffs, which shows no signs of abating.
Using the Gaming Model from Ontario
It wouldn't surprise him, the industry insider told Casino.org, if in the coming months we began to see memorandums of understanding between Ontario and other provinces, where those other jurisdictions would follow the AGCO's lead and open their other markets with the AGCO serving as the regulator.
There are presently 50 licensed operators operating in Ontario's regulated market, and the total wagers (CA $7.56 billion) increased by 4% month over month in July. Currently, Ontario levies a 20% tax on sports betting and igaming businesses.
20% Tax Rate
“Now that they’ve got a case study in Ontario, it’s like there’s gold in those hills, and we might as well go get some … let’s just cut and paste Ontario or do some kind of a business arrangement with Ontario,” the source said. “So we’ll have a harmonized standard. The AGCO could be the regulator [in the other jurisdiction]. [iGaming Ontario] could have a satellite office in the other province so that they could be the operator in that jurisdiction.
“There are simple solutions to have people opt in on the Ontario system, that’s a win for the industry, a win for both Ontario and whatever other province, and a win for citizens there, because then they’ve got a regulated system, and they’re collecting some tax revenue.”
Instead of the other jurisdiction establishing its own regulator, Burns believes that this scenario is a serious possibility.
Political Will and Courage?
“It’s entirely possible,” he told Casino.org. “It really only takes will and courage on behalf of the provinces. But it also comes down to practicality, especially for smaller provinces. Regulated gaming is different in every province. So we start with the ability to look at igaming models, what would work for that jurisdiction, and how to regulate or oversee it. But we do need harmonized regulations and technical standards in Canada, making it easier to do business across the country.”
Small market jurisdictions with similar standards would be able to obtain goods, innovations, and equipment if the market were harmonized. It would enable the dissemination of regulatory best practices throughout the nation. Burns continued, "It's the evolution of where the industry is going."
Finding Common Ground
“Are Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island each going to set up a regulator for igaming [like in Ontario and soon, Alberta]?” he said. “They didn’t do it for lottery, so why would they?
“But each province has gaming regulators, so could they go and look to another province to provide that service for them? I think that’s part of what the conversation has moved to in Canada, considering this trade war and provinces trying to break down barriers. Finding common ground is now part of the conversation and must be part of the conversation.”
In Those Hills, Gold
You might cite the independent laboratory testing of game technologies conducted by GLI as an example from the gaming industry. For the testing and certification of sports betting and igaming products, GLI has a uniform standard.
Perhaps a provincial government suggests using another government's regulatory framework to assist them. Does the political will exist to carry it out?
“I think the time’s never been better to have these discussions,” said Burns. “I think it’s a very real possibility. It should be considered. Why couldn’t this level of regulatory compliance extend to another government? It’s not for every province, but it could be for some.”
Providing Market Access to Smaller Provinces
Another case study is PlayNow in the west, which is owned and run by the British Columbia Lottery Corporation. Manitoba and Saskatchewan purchase a commercial service from BCLC and use PlayNow to offer regulated online gaming within their borders.
“This isn’t far-out thinking,” he said. “I don’t see why all of these things shouldn’t be on the menu with governments. We’re going to help put it there, because we would like to see regulatory harmonization, make it easier to do business in this country and provide better choices for these smaller market jurisdictions to access this regulated product and have a regulated environment. The concept is worth an evaluation.”
