Ontario's new private sports betting and iGaming market to open April 4

Ontario will launch its open market for private, regulated operators to offer single-event sports betting this spring, iGaming Ontario (iGO) announced Friday.

Private gaming operators that have registered with the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario and have executed an operating agreement with iGO can begin offering their games to players in the province on April 4, as per the release.

"Consumers can be assured that companies who successfully enter the new Ontario market will have met rigorous standards of game and operator integrity, fairness, player protections and social responsibility, allowing all players to play with confidence," Martha Otton, iGO executive director, said in a prepared statement. "Prevention of underage access, ensuring compliance with applicable laws including anti-money laundering rules and regulations, and measures to enable more responsible gambling are just a few of the assurances consumers can expect in the new market as of April 4."

Residents in Canada's largest province aged 19+ will be able to place legal wagers through private, regulated operators on professional sports in time for such marquee events as the NHL and NBA playoffs, and golf's Masters Tournament.

Ontario's population of nearly 15 million is larger than all but four U.S. states (California, Texas, Florida, and New York).

The Canadian federal government cleared the way for private, legal single-game sports betting with the passage of Bill C-218, the Safe and Regulated Sports Betting Act, in the Senate of Canada in June.

Previously, single-game sports betting had been legal in the country but only via parlay wagers. Canadians will now have the ability to bet on single-game matches across sports (excluding horse racing), with the government set to collect taxes on estimated billions of dollars currently being wagered illegally.

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