Yes, online sports betting is legal in Ontario, but only through selected operators. Before April 2022, legal restrictions meant that Ontarian sports bettors had very few options. The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario—the agency responsible for regulating gambling activity in the province—has since licensed several other major operators.
The 4th of April 2022 was a huge turning point for the legal gambling industry in Ontario. It opened many doors for online gamblers and the operators catering to them. Some of the biggest sports betting and iGaming operators in the world entered the Ontario gambling market in April and several others have followed since then.
The legal gambling landscape continues to evolve in Ontario and while it has traditionally been more restrictive than other Canadian provinces, that is rapidly changing. In the near future, we expect to see more brands added to the list of approved operators maintained by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario.
To gamble online in Ontario, you must be over the age of 19. The gambling age can vary from 18 to 19 across Canada and is typically just 18 in many other countries. Incidentally, you only need to be 18-years-old to buy lottery tickets in Ontario, but the rules change for online gambling.
In addition to being above the legal gambling age, you must also have access to a safe and secure payment method, including a debit card (Visa, Mastercard, Maestro) or instant payment method (Interac). Accepted payment methods differ from sportsbook to sportsbook, but the age requirement is always the same.
You may also be required to prove that you are a resident of Ontario.
Before signing up for an online sportsbook in Ontario, make sure that it is licensed, official, and uses secure payment methods.
For an online sportsbook to be licensed in the province of Ontario, it must hold a license from the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario. These licenses don’t come easily, and there are several steps to acquiring one.
These steps include a substantial licensing fee of $100,000, which must be paid for every year that the license is active. Not only does this sum help to fund the agency’s operations and assist with its licensing and player-protection endeavours, but it also deters scams and fly-by-night operators.
Some of the other steps required of Ontario gambling operations include:
- Operators must cover reasonable costs associated with processing their applications.
- Details of ownership must be provided, along with supporting documents.
- Responsible gambling procedures must be followed to protect players at all times.
The regulator doesn’t just take its money and run. It runs a series of checks to ensure that the operator is responsible and can provide a safe wagering experience for its players. This is great news for Ontarian gamblers and means that only secure, safe, and fair operators will make it through the licensing process.
You must be at least 19 years old to gamble at an online sportsbook in Ontario.
The legal gambling age in Canada is between 18 and 19 and varies by province and activity. If you want to purchase a lottery ticket in Ontario and most other provinces, the limit is just 18, but it increases to 19 for most other activities.
Most gamblers don’t need to pay taxes on their winnings in Ontario, but there are exceptions.
If you are a recreational gambler wagering a few bucks here and there, you don’t need to pay tax on your winnings. Most small-scale gamblers don’t even make a profit, so there’s not much to tax anyway. If you are a professional gambler making lots of wagers and securing huge profits, you will be subject to tax.
Casinos and sportsbooks are also subject to tax in Ontario. In fact, these operators pump millions of dollars into the local economy and are one of the main reasons there is so much support for legalized gambling.
The regulatory framework governing in-person gambling is different from that of online gambling. As a result, online sportsbook operators are not permitted to offer in-person/retail gambling and must stick to online services.
Online sportsbooks are governed by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO). By taking bets in person, an operator falls under the definition of a land-based operation and is thus governed by the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG).
Of course! That’s one of the great things about online sportsbooks. Whether you’re watching a game live in a stadium or on TV in a bar/restaurant, you can place a bet using online Ontario sportsbooks. Just take your device with you, log in via a secure connection, and place your bets.
Most Ontario sportsbooks offer live betting, which means you can place wagers even after the game has started. You can bet on the next touchdown, goal, or points, or check out a range of prop bets.
Watching the game live allows you to adjust your bets based on the action, but it doesn’t give you an advantage over the sportsbook. After all, they also have people watching the game and if something major happens, such as a penalty in soccer or a red zone catch in football, they will temporarily suspend the markets.
Live bets are also subject to a short pending period.
The choice of payment methods is provided by the sportsbook, as opposed to any official regulation. As a result, they can vary greatly from one site to the next.
The majority of sportsbooks offer Interac. These payments are fast, secure, and available to most Canadians.
Credit cards, iDebit, InstaDebit, Skrill, and Neteller are also fairly common.
The exact withdrawal timeframe will depend on the payment method and your chosen sportsbook.
You’re waiting for two different things.
Firstly, you have the sportsbook’s pending withdrawal period. This is the length of time that it takes for the site to accept and process your payment. It can be as short as a few minutes or as long as a few days. The average processing time is less than 24 hours.
The second part is the time it takes for the funds to clear in your bank account/e-wallet. In most cases, this process will be instant, but some payment methods require a wait of between 1 and 3 days.
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