What's the conduct-and-manage structure?

AGCO licenses operators, but commercial activity must be conducted under an agreement with iGaming Ontario, a state-owned entity. This is a structural quirk of Canadian gaming law, which assigns the conducting role to the provincial government. In practice, private operators handle day-to-day commercial activity under iGO's umbrella.

Will other Canadian provinces follow Ontario's model?

Active question. Alberta and British Columbia have signaled interest in opening their markets to private operators. Quebec's model differs again, anchored on Loto-Québec. The pace varies by province and depends on political and tax considerations.

Regulatory

AGCO

Definition

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, regulator of Ontario's regulated online market.

Why it matters

Ontario opened its regulated online gambling market in April 2022, making it the first Canadian province to license private operators alongside its provincial offering. AGCO operates the regulatory side; iGaming Ontario (a subsidiary of AGCO) operates the commercial conduct-and-manage structure that contracts with private operators. The market launched with significant operator participation and quickly became one of North America's largest licensed online markets.

For B2B suppliers and operators, AGCO certification standards and the conduct-and-manage agreement structure are the cost of doing business in Ontario. The province has been a test case for how a mature multi-jurisdiction Canadian licensed market could develop, with British Columbia, Alberta, and other provinces actively studying the model. Cross-border player pooling with other Canadian provinces is a live policy question.

Frequently asked questions

What's the conduct-and-manage structure?
AGCO licenses operators, but commercial activity must be conducted under an agreement with iGaming Ontario, a state-owned entity. This is a structural quirk of Canadian gaming law, which assigns the conducting role to the provincial government. In practice, private operators handle day-to-day commercial activity under iGO's umbrella.
Will other Canadian provinces follow Ontario's model?
Active question. Alberta and British Columbia have signaled interest in opening their markets to private operators. Quebec's model differs again, anchored on Loto-Québec. The pace varies by province and depends on political and tax considerations.