The state’s new regulator of iGaming offerings, iGaming Ontario, has announced it will make some changes to online poker starting this spring. A subsidiary of the Ontario Alcohol and Game Commission has announced that it will officially ban poker players from participating in the international pool from April 4, 2022.
The province informed us that deciding on a drastic change is far from spontaneous, as the idea of splitting the Ontario Pool was first discussed in 2019. This is when the province presented a budget plan for the future. Change affects not only Ontario residents, but also the international poker industry.
After IGaming Ontario announced the new rules, it became clear that only domestic and Ontario residents could play in the pool after April 4, 2022, and international gamblers’ activities were to be suspended, but the province decided to tighten them.
Gambling leaders such as the Great Canadian Gaming Corporation have expressed dissatisfaction with the change. According to a company study, the decision will further damage the federal budget. Some experts even predict that betters would most prefer to play on platforms of legitimate operators operating through offshore companies without regulation and taxes.
Flooth Entertainment said it plans to apply for an Ontario license and relocate its FanDuel Fantasy Sports division to provincial areas. This could trigger the legalization of the company’s PokerStars.com . Market closures will also slightly reduce traffic in each room, but are not accurately estimated.
As originally expected, the size of the pool will be reduced by 10 to 20 times, which is expected to affect Ontario residents. Therefore, there will be fewer prizes from games, fewer playgrounds and rooms, and unlicensed companies will have to stop offering products online. Companies that violate the regulations will be blacklisted by the province.
In late January, Ontario announced it would open its long-awaited open eye gaming and sports betting market for local authorized operators. The new market will open on April 4, 2022, and iGaming Ontario has shared that it will sign contracts with licensed operators and begin accepting bids online from locals.
Recently, iGaming Ontario and the Alcohol and Game Commission shared that operators are alert to how they will prevent players outside of jurisdiction from accessing the market. Currently, the well-known geofencing service providers are GeoComply and LocationSmart, both of which have advantages and disadvantages. The latter could already work with the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation to gain the upper hand.
BY: 안전놀이터