Fanatics Betting and Gaming has cleared a key Ontario regulatory hurdle after the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario issued a two-year internet gaming operator registration to its Canadian arm on 12 August. The approval moves the company closer to an Ontario launch for its casino and sportsbook plans, but it does not by itself put the brand live.
Ontario’s private online gambling system is split in two. The AGCO registers operators and oversees compliance, while iGaming Ontario signs the commercial contract that allows them to operate in the regulated market.
That means Fanatics still needs a separate agreement with iGaming Ontario before Ontario players can use Fanatics Casino. Ontario rules do allow operators to offer both sportsbook and casino products.
Casino.org and iGaming.org listed 48 licensed operators and 83 active websites, and Fanatics’ addition would push the operator count to 50, including Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. and recent arrivals DAZN Bet and Hard Rock Bet. Ontarians can already buy a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey from Fanatics, but not place a same-game parlay or play blackjack through its betting brands.
As covered in July, Hard Rock Bet launched in Ontario. Casino.org quoted a senior industry source describing Ontario as a global leader in regulated online gaming, with a robust regulatory framework and a commercially attractive tax environment.
Amanda Brewer of the Canadian Gaming Association said the market may already have reached saturation and that success now depends on user experience, app design, customer service and loyalty rewards. The same report said an Ipsos study released in May found 91.1% of online gambling respondents were playing on regulated sites, up from 83.7% a year earlier, and that Ontario’s private operator base generated more than $4.2 billion in gross gaming revenue in Year 4.
Fanatics already operates online sports betting in 23 U.S. states and Washington, D.C., and its casino product is live in four states. If the Ontario rollout goes ahead, the province would be its first international market. The company said it will share more launch details in the coming weeks.
