A piece of good news comes from Canada. Ontario province seems to follow Swedish steps by allowing private gambling operators to enter the playing field. With this step, Ontario will end the current online betting monopoly for private participants. At the moment, the only local authority which holds an official license for online gambling operation is the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Commission (OLG). OLG currently runs the local site PlayOLG.ca.
The Background of the Decision:
But what are the incentives for the sudden change? According to the reports, Ontario wants to allow private companies such as Spin Palace casino https://greatcasinocanada.com/casinos/spin-palace-casino/ to enter the online gambling world in the future. With this step, they hope to see the local economy in a new light with a better reflection of customer choices. However, it is not the first time that Canadian provinces reveal such a liberal plan. Only several years ago the same idea was announced in the province of Quebec. Despite the plans, nothing more happened up to date.
Is Ontario Going a Step Further?
Ontario spokesman was clear about local intentions. The Canadian province wants to make the liberalisation step sooner than later. The officials have already started preliminary conversations with industry stakeholders. As planned, the new regulatory system should reflect the preferences of customers, whilst establishing necessary legal framework. All these changes will not considerably affect local businesses in compliance purposes.
The recent proposal enables customers to purchase OLG Lottery tickets from mobile gadgets. For this purpose, mobile players can use designated apps with progressive functions. Currently, players can buy OLG Lottery tickets via the official website of the company. Mobile casinos with dedicated apps for smartphones are already in use in Canadian provinces, but tickets purchase is going to be an innovative option.
What About Drinking?
Online gambling is just a part of Tory government plans. Ontario province also considers allowing alcohol consumption in public business places starting from 9 AM. At the moment, the limit is set at 11 AM. In addition, the Tory government will consider general convenience stores and allowing them to sell soft liquor drinks (wine and beer).
But what about government opposition? John Fraser, interim leader of Liberal party said:
“I have a hard time to understand the Tories’ ongoing obsession with alcohol“
Final Word:
If the Ontario government allows online gambling opening, about 15 million residents will enter the online gambling sphere. At the moment, the government budget is focused on online gambling area. In addition, Ontario authorities make efforts to enable single-game sports betting. The current law only allows parlay sports betting which is not attractive for players.
We look forward to seeing the further steps of the Ontario government. The complete liberalization will be more than positive for Ontario residents, which is the largest province in Canada.