iGaming Ontario (iGO), on-line sports wagering and single-game betting, launched Monday, April 4, with more than a dozen betting sites having been registered with the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO). Seven sites went live on April 4.
For horse racing in Ontario, however, the launch is of great concern to the industry as currently, horse racing has yet to be integrated as online betting content on these various platforms and Woodbine Entertainment, the largest wagering company in the country, has not been able to set up physical sportsbooks. Woodbine has a vast Champions teletheatre network across Ontario, already set up for wagering. As Jim Lawson, CEO and president of Woodbine said to Dave Briggs at playontario.com. “We’re not looking for exclusivity, we not looking for protection. We just want to be part of it,” Lawson said. “On the integration side, all we’re asking is let (operators) host our product.”