Licences for commercial and tribal operators under one framework
Michigan
The state that brought commercial and tribal online operators into a single licensing structure.
Licensed online casino
Ontario
The first competitive regulated online market in Canada, open since April 2022 and the largest in North America for casino play.
| Product | Position | What that means |
|---|---|---|
| Online casino | Licensed | Commercial operators can be licensed to offer this product to local customers. |
| Sports betting | Licensed | Commercial operators can be licensed to offer this product to local customers. |
| Online poker | Licensed | Commercial operators can be licensed to offer this product to local customers. |
| Lottery | State monopoly | Reserved to a state or state-controlled operator; no commercial licence is available. |
How the market works
Ontario opened on 4 April 2022, replacing a market in which the provincial lottery corporation ran the only legal site while a large grey sector operated alongside it. Operators that had served Ontario previously were able to register, which is why the market reached scale almost immediately rather than building from nothing.
The structure reflects the Canadian Criminal Code requirement that lawful gaming be conducted and managed by the province. The regulator registers and supervises operators and suppliers; a separate provincial entity holds the commercial agreements and receives a share of gross gaming revenue. Operators are therefore registrants under agreement rather than licensees in the European sense.
Ontario's advertising standards are the strictest in North America. Bonuses and inducements may not be advertised publicly and can only be communicated to customers who have given consent, and the use of athletes in gambling advertising was prohibited in 2024 outside limited responsible-gambling messaging. The province publishes quarterly data by vertical, which makes it unusually well documented.
Who regulates it
Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), based in Toronto and operating under Gaming Control Act 1992; Registrar's Standards for Internet Gaming. The Ontario regulator, which opened the first competitive regulated online market in Canada in April 2022.
Licence types issued
- Internet gaming operator registration
- Gaming-related supplier registration
Questions about Ontario
Other markets in North America
Interactive gaming licence, poker only
Nevada
The oldest major gaming jurisdiction, with a long sports betting history but no online casino.
Prohibited online casino
Online permit held through an Atlantic City casino licensee
New Jersey
The state that established the American online casino model, live since November 2013.
Licensed online casino
Interactive gaming certificate held by a land-based licensee
Pennsylvania
A large American online casino market, and the one with the heaviest tax on online slot revenue.
Licensed online casino
Background reading
Legal and compliance
What a gaming licence actually covers
A licence is not a badge of quality and it is not valid everywhere. What it authorises, who it binds, and why one company often holds a dozen.
Legal and compliance
How gambling is taxed, and why the base matters
A tax on stakes and a tax on gross gaming revenue can carry the same headline number and produce completely different businesses.
Legal and compliance
How a company enters a new market
The sequence from legal assessment to launch, and the parts that routinely take longer than anyone plans for.
Legal and compliance
What grey and black markets actually mean
The industry uses three words for the legal status of a market and rarely defines them. Here is what each one means in practice.