International online gaming giant 888 Holdings PLC has confirmed that it has received on of the new iGaming licenses issued by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), Canada's most populous province. The license will allow 888 to roll its online-poker brand, 888poker, along with its online casino and sports products. 888's operations in Ontario will be overseen by AGCO's iGaming Ontario (iGO) regulatory entity.
Ontario's new regulated online-gambling market is slated to open on April 4, 2022. The province includes Canada's most populous city, Toronto, and it is home to nearly 15 million residents, or more than 38% of Canada's entire population.
Several prominent international iGaming brands are expected to announce their Ontario licenses in the coming weeks, though the licensing process hasn't been without difficulties or legal challenges. Several of Canada's First Nations have been angered by Ontario's licensing procedures, and one of them, the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation, last month announced its plans to sue, citing the lack of consideration given to "accommodate impacted Indigenous groups."
However, even an agreement or settlement favoring the Mississaugas' and other First Nations' interests would be unlikely to scuttle the new Ontarian iGaming plans at this stage, even if they were granted the right to join at a later date.
