Ontario has the only competitive private sports betting market in Canada.
Since April 2022, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario has licensed private operators to compete openly. That is why Ontario residents can use bet365, FanDuel, DraftKings, and BetMGM alongside the Crown-run PROLINE+.
What AGCO licensing actually means
The AGCO oversees standards for gambling, cannabis, liquor, and horse racing in Ontario. For online betting, the AGCO writes the Registrar's Standards, and iGaming Ontario acts as the conduct-and-management authority under the Criminal Code so that private operators can legally accept bets. Every AGCO-licensed operator is on a public register you can search, disputes go through the AGCO, and there is a formal complaints process that ends with the Ontario Ombudsman if unresolved.
In practical terms: your money is safer here than on any other tier of Canadian sportsbook. If a licensed operator refuses a legitimate withdrawal, you have a regulator to complain to.
The AGCO-licensed sportsbooks worth using
Fifteen private operators plus one Crown book cover the Ontario market. In our ranking order:
- bet365 — deepest overall book
- FanDuel — best same-game parlays
- DraftKings — best props builder
- BetMGM — best rewards program
- Caesars — best odds boosts
- PointsBet — unique PointsBetting bet type
- BetRivers — best live betting
- PROLINE+ — Ontario's Crown option, run by OLG
See the full list for the remaining seven Ontario licensees.
Advertising rules that affect Ontario players
Since February 2024, AGCO rules prohibit Ontario-licensed operators from advertising bonuses, credits, or free bets to the general public. That is why Ontario billboards and TV ads look plain compared to what you see for offshore books online. The offers still exist. They are just gated behind logged-in accounts. This is a genuinely good rule that protects casual players from being aggressively pulled into gambling by inducement marketing.
Age and ID
Ontario is 19+. AGCO rules require identity verification at signup, not just at withdrawal. That is one of the reasons the tier is safer: you cannot open an account without confirming who you are.