The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) updated its Internet Gaming Go-Live Compliance Guide on March 11 with important changes for registered and prospective iGaming operators and gaming-related suppliers.

These changes reinforce Ontario’s robust regulatory framework for iGaming, allowing for increased operational flexibility while also ensuring that strong controls are in place to help protect game integrity, consumers, and the Ontario public.

The important changes incorporated in the Guide include:

1. New guidance on advertising at physical premises. The parameters for advertising through promotional partnerships at a physical premises have been outlined and added to Section 1: AGCO Compliance Approach. This guidance allows many options for responsible promotional partnerships; however, neither iGaming operators nor other businesses may provide gaming devices or gaming equipment (e.g. a tablet) to players to access an iGaming site at a physical premises.
2. Additional information about AGCO’s approach and requirements for recertification when certified technology is modified. More information has been included in Appendix C: ITL Certification Policy.
3. To facilitate operations at market launch, additional flexibility of compliance requirements in certain low-risk circumstances.

The AGCO has also added more options to the compliance guide in Section 4 and Appendix C: ITL Certification Policy around Independent Testing Laboratory (ITL) certification of technology, and Section 3 around the implementation of control activities in order to comply with the Registrar’s Standards in advance of going live in Ontario.

The AGCO continues to work with and help prepare operators and gaming-related suppliers for the launch of Ontario’s new iGaming market on April 4, 2022. To date, around a dozen operators are thought to have secure licenses from the commission to operate in the province as of that date.

Ontario’s new iGaming market will steadily expand in the weeks and months following the market’s launch and all operators and suppliers working toward entering Ontario’s market are strongly encouraged to review the updated Guide to help ensure readiness for go-live.