Fitzdares will leave Ontario after two years, telling customers it will stop taking deposits on 11 March and new wagers on 25 March. The company said its online casino operator licence is due to expire early next month and that the cost of doing business had become prohibitive; customers must withdraw funds by 31 March.
Operators and customers in Ontario face a defined wind-down, including separate deposit, wagering and withdrawal dates.
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iGaming Ontario kept the findings of a problem gambling study confidential, according to a report based on records obtained through freedom of information legislation. The agency commissioned the research before Ontario’s regulated online sports betting and casino market opened in April 2022, and meeting notes described the baseline results as unexpected and significantly different from other research. iGaming Ontario cited possible harm to the province’s economic interests in withholding information.
The Supreme Court of Canada heard arguments this week about the legality of Ontario permitting cross-border online gambling. The hearing considered arguments supporting and opposing participation alongside players abroad.
Ontario reported C$9.74bn in iGaming wagers for August, up 20% year on year.
iGaming Ontario and the Responsible Gambling Council expanded their gambling-harm education programme to 40 publicly funded college and university campuses in Ontario, confirmed on 23 September. The initiative is funded by Ontario’s Ministry of Health and aims to reach students through 10,000 in-person interactions.
iGaming Ontario announced on 23 September a partnership with the Responsible Gambling Council to raise student awareness of BetGuard in Ontario. BetGuard lets users exclude themselves centrally from regulated internet gambling. The announcement says iGaming Ontario’s support expands the 2026-27 tour to 40 publicly funded campuses from 20, with potential for up to 10,000 student interactions.