Source: AGCO (Ontario)
Ontario transferred horse-racing regulatory responsibilities from the Ontario Racing Commission to the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) under legislation introduced in 2015. The AGCO says the change integrated horse racing into the province’s gaming strategy while retaining regulatory oversight.
The transfer identifies the authority responsible for horse-racing oversight in Ontario.
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Ontario’s Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) says horse racing licensees can appeal Rules of Racing rulings to the Horse Racing Appeal Panel, while proposed orders under the Horse Racing Licence Act can go to the Licence Appeal Tribunal. A person served with a Notice of Proposed Order has 15 days to respond; a timely response leads to a review by the tribunal.
Ontario’s AGCO published a summary of its Health and Safety Working Group’s advice and planned follow-up actions. The group recommended exploring an online system to register joint-injection drugs and considered measures covering biosecurity, training, veterinary equipment and racehorse welfare; the AGCO said it would report on the system’s feasibility in late 2018.
Ontario’s Alcohol and Gaming Commission (AGCO) describes its veterinary oversight and horse-health measures for racing in the province. It employs two full-time veterinarians who supervise more than 20 official veterinarians, while private veterinarians who regularly treat racehorses must hold an AGCO licence.
Ontario’s Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) reported recommendations from a working group on horse-racing adjudication, established to advise on transparency, consistency and race-official processes. The group proposed improvements to communications and adjudication procedures, while the AGCO described actions taken or planned, including trials of race reports on Twitter at two racetracks.
Ontario’s Alcohol and Gaming Commission (AGCO) said it changed horse-racing rules during the 2024-2025 fiscal year, including extending claim invalidation provisions to Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse races. After an increase in serious horse injuries at Woodbine late in the 2024 season, the commission requested safety measures, refined in January 2025, and launched a horse-welfare study.