Regulatory
AGCO
Definition
The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) is the provincial regulator of gambling in Ontario, Canada, including the online market opened to private operators in April 2022, which iGaming Ontario conducts and manages.
Key takeaways
- The AGCO regulates Ontario's online gambling market, which opened to private operators in April 2022.
- iGaming Ontario conducts and manages the market and contracts with operators; it has been an independent agency, not an AGCO subsidiary, since May 2025.
- Ontario was the first Canadian province to open its online market to private operators; Alberta followed on 13 July 2026.
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 (originally an AGCO subsidiary, and an independent provincial agency since May 2025) 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, and Alberta became the second province to open its online market to private operators on 13 July 2026, with other provinces watching the results. Cross-border player pooling with other Canadian provinces is a live policy question.
Sources
- Roles of the AGCO and iGaming Ontario - Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario
- Alberta's iGaming Strategy - Government of Alberta
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?
Alberta already has: its regulated market opened to private operators on 13 July 2026, making it the second province after Ontario. British Columbia has not committed to licensing private operators and keeps its single-operator PlayNow model. Quebec's model differs again, anchored on Loto-Québec. The pace elsewhere varies by province and depends on political and tax considerations.