The big win by the Progressive Conservatives in Thursday’s provincial election is likely good news for supporters of sports betting in Ontario, as the party that implemented the current model of legal wagering will remain in control of the government.
With almost 99% of polls reporting as of Friday morning, Premier Doug Ford and the PC Party of Ontario had won or were leading in 83 of the 124 electoral districts in the province, which will give the Tories an even bigger majority of seats in the legislature at Queen’s Park.
It was under the watch of Ford and the PCs that Ontario launched a competitive market for online sports betting and internet casino gambling on April 4. There are now more than 15 digital bookmakers legally taking bets in Canada’s most populous province, which is more than anywhere else in the country.
The PCs didn’t say much, if anything, about what other plans they may have for sports betting in Ontario if they were re-elected. However, given they were the party that launched the iGaming market, it seems unlikely they would just turn around and dismantle it now that they’ve been returned to power by voters.
Thursday’s provincial election also leaves the Tories free to oversee the debut of other forms of legal sports betting, namely brick-and-mortar sportsbooks at casinos and other physical locations. The government-owned Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. (OLG) has been leading that process, and the gaming industry is optimistic about what another four years of the Ford government will bring.
Ford with a warning for jockeying, would-be cabinet ministers: "Don't lobby me ... or have your supporters lobby me. It just doesn't work like that."#onpoli
— Robert Benzie (@robertbenzie) June 3, 2022
“I think the re-election of the Ford government is good for gaming in Ontario,” said Paul Burns, president and chief executive officer of the Canadian Gaming Association, in an email.
Burns said the gaming industry has “worked very hard” over the past four years to educate the provincial government about the economic benefits of the sector. The effort included participating in the consultations for the new iGaming market and advocating for support for more than 20,000 casino employees who were hard-hit by COVID-19-related restrictions.
“We want to build on the good work to ensure our land-based casinos can operate on a level playing field and can finally open retail sportsbooks this summer, and ensure the regulated igaming market works for everyone,” Burns added. “We look forward to building upon the positive relationship we have had with the Ford government to ensure the gaming operators, the innovators and the job creators of our industry can continue to grow their businesses.”
Who's coming with me?
The end of the election campaign will also free up Ontario’s bureaucrats, who go into a holding pattern during the so-called writ period. It’s expected the first official numbers about the province’s iGaming market will be released soon, such as revenue and handle figures.
There is the potential for tweaks to the iGaming market as well. At least one major land-based casino operator has taken issue with the province's iGaming model, and the government has faced pushback from Indigenous communities with ties to the gaming industry.
Furthermore, the sheer volume of advertising for online sportsbooks has rubbed some Ontarians the wrong way, and there are concerns about the possibility of an increase in problem gambling. Ontario fantasy players have been angered by the loss of DFS options as well, which operators have blamed on the province’s regulations.
Yet another four years of Ford, and possibly another four years of the iGaming framework, could make it harder for another party to dismantle the current model now that provincial bettors have had a taste of a competitive market for sports betting. Before the market’s launch, the only legal provider of online sports betting in Ontario had been OLG, but there is now a host of legitimate options for punters.
And Ontario’s iGaming market is being monitored by other provinces. Jared Beber, the CEO of Sports Venture Holdings Inc. (SVH), the parent company of subsidiaries that run Bet99, said he thinks other provinces will follow in the footsteps of Ontario, albeit on their own timelines.
“I do believe that they will implement some of the things that work and… create their own respective provincial frameworks,” Beber said in a recent interview with Covers. “And we intend to be right there, obtaining that respective license as it becomes available.”
This story has been updated from its original version to include more information about the gaming industry's educational efforts.
