Ontario’s highest court has removed a key legal obstacle that could transform the province’s online gaming scene, allowing poker and daily fantasy sports (DFS) players to face off against rivals outside Canada.
Legal Green Light May Revive Ontario’s Struggling Poker and Fantasy Sports Scene
In a 4–1 ruling released on November 12, the Ontario Court of Appeal determined that regulated gaming websites could host peer-to-peer contests involving international players as long as these games stay under proper regulatory oversight, reported Covers. The court said this decision follows the Criminal Code of Canada, giving Ontario the go-ahead to seek international player pools — though other provinces cannot join unless they sign separate agreements.
The ruling solves a question the Ontario government asked last year: would letting players share pools with other countries break federal gambling laws? Most judges said no, interpreting the law to allow Ontario to work with regulators abroad. Just one judge disagreed, cautioning that Ontario might overstep its legal bounds by joining international games.
The decision could be a game-changer for Ontario’s poker and fantasy sports industries, which have been struggling. When the province started its regulated online gambling market in 2022, it had an impact on platforms like PokerStars, GGPoker, and 888poker. These sites could offer games to players in Ontario, which led to smaller prizes and less player activity. In the same way, big daily fantasy sports companies such as DraftKings and FanDuel stopped running their fantasy contests. They did this because Ontario’s closed market made it hard to operate.
Gaming Industry Welcomes Ontario Decision, Eyes Return to Global Competition
Industry supporters cheered the ruling as a big win. The Canadian Gaming Association (CGA) called it a “significant victory” for customers and said it was eager to collaborate with regulators to bring back popular person-to-person games. The CGA also mentioned that while someone might appeal, the strong decision should spark a moderate response from opponents.
Before games can start across borders, Ontario officials need to make deals that spell out how international play will function. This involves deciding which foreign places qualify, how to run games, and how to match up rules — like checking ages, promoting responsible gaming, and sharing money — across different countries.
Although the ruling does not change things right away, it paves the way to bring back Ontario’s once-thriving poker and DFS scenes. Experts believe that bringing in bigger groups of players could boost involvement, convince big companies to return to the province, and steer more gaming towards regulated markets, cutting down the use of offshore websites.For the time being, online players and companies in Ontario are keeping a close eye on things. If nothing gets in the way, they might soon compete on the world stage again, kicking off a new era for online gaming inCanada.