Why Ontario's iGaming Scene Can Now Attract Global Operators

While Ontario was the first province to launch a competitive, fully legal and regulated online gambling market for private operators in 2022, it hasn’t exactly been the hotbed of inclusion that some make it out to be. 

On the contrary, the early framework was deliberately restrictive, shaped more by risk and aversion and political caution than by a desire to attract global competition. 

One of the clearest examples of this was Ontario’s decision to ring-fence its online poker market, requiring players located in the province to compete exclusively against other Ontario-based players. 

This has come at a high cost. By severing Ontario players from international liquidity pools, the province effectively walled itself off from the global online poker ecosystem, resulting in smaller prize pools, reduced liquidity for players, and decreased scalability for global operators.

Yes, it’s effective for asserting oversight, but this structure isn’t exactly ‘global-friendly’. That is to say, although the province has positioned itself as an effective, regulated alternative, the market has been technically open but strategically insular. 

Course Correcting Ontario’s iGaming Scene

In 2025, however, there has been a big change to rectify this. Earlier in November, Ontario's highest court issued a favorable ruling that could allow licensed online poker operators to expand their player pools to include participants located outside Canada. 

The court clarified that Ontario-based players can legally compete alongside foreign players, so long as the province retains regulatory control over players physically in Ontario, and compliance is ensured with provincial licensing and consumer-protection rules. 

For operators, specifically, this ruling removes a major barrier when it comes to scaling. Already, there are some top international casino brands and indeed, many top poker brands operating in Ontario – many of which can be found on Casino.org Canada – but through cross-border integration and linking with international liquidity pools, there could be even more, with experts suggesting it could increase poker activity by 40-60%. 

What an International Player Pool Brings to the Province

Looking a little deeper at the scalability problem, there’s a reason why global operators will be interested in this. Firstly, larger, international player pools mean higher liquidity and more competitive games, which in turn attract serious poker players who drive engagement and revenue. 

As mentioned above, if poker activity is to increase by as much as 40-60%, that’s only going to amplify revenue potential and create a more vibrant market, providing a good opportunity for established global operators to capture new players and expand their Canadian footprint. 

Secondly, it helps that operators can leverage existing international infrastructure and branding without having to create a separate, Ontario-only ecosystem. In the past, this has been a major barrier to entry, with operators working to adapt their platforms and localize their content, ensuring compliance with Ontario-specific rules. 

The result of this included increased operational costs, complex marketing strategies to attract investors, and uneasy integration with wider global platforms. In other words, it was a struggle. Now, however, it’s possible for global operators to simply integrate Ontario players onto their existing platforms, keeping their systems intact while still becoming a top option for Canadian players.

It should also be noted that daily fantasy sports operators may also benefit, especially since. The reason for this is that, like poker, DFS relies heavily on large, active player pools to ensure competitive contests and prize structures. Without that, there isn’t much reason for skilled or serious players to participate, which isn’t such a good thing when it comes to engagement.

By allowing Ontario participants to join international DFS contests, however, operators across the board can increase the likelihood of player participation, thus creating new revenue opportunities that make Ontario a far more attractive and scalable market.

From a Contained Hub to a Globally Integrated Hub

What does this mean for the future? Well, for starters, it’s going to transform Ontario from a contained market into a more globally integrated hub, particularly for skill-based and competitive games like poker and DFS. 

By linking local players with international pools, the province is effectively bolstering the revenue potential of global operators, giving them far more reason to invest in Ontario and expand their offerings accordingly. 

This will then create a ripple effect, with these operators bringing more tournaments, higher-stakes games, and other contest formats to the province itself, which in turn will attract more players and increase engagement across the full range of platforms. 

On a broader note, the court ruling also signals to the iGaming ecosystem that Ontario is willing to balance regulator oversight with commercial flexibility. This not only sets a model for other Canadian provinces, but it also demonstrates to global players that Ontario is a market open to innovation and capable of supporting large-scale, internationally connected operators. 

In the future, then, it’s likely that there will be even more international operators entering or expanding in the province, potentially making Ontario the benchmark for regulated, globally integrated Canadian iGaming.

Ontario will become a globally connected iGaming hub; it’s just a matter of time and regulatory coordination, and for global operators to jump on board and begin taking advantage of this new opportunity.