Videoslots is set to expand its area of legal operations, as it has obtained a license to operate in Canada’s most populous province – Ontario. The operator was licensed under the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, allowing it to offer iGaming content from its partners to players in the province. Its sister brand Mr Vegas is also arriving in the regulated sector.
Ontario’s market is the first of its kind in Canada as it allows for third-party operators to obtain a license and offer legal online casinos and sports betting to locals. A percentage of their revenue is taken by the province. The aim of the iGaming framework was to keep players off of offshore websites while also keeping some of the money in the province and reinvesting it.
Another Operator Joins the iGaming Scene
After acquiring a license, Videoslots is now able to offer its content to Ontario bettors. Players from the province will have access to content from its partner providers such as Pragmatic Play, Play’n GO, Evolution, Light & Wonder, Pariplay and Greentube. Its content boasts customer engagement features such as Battle of Slots, Clash of Spins and Wheel of Jackpots.
Deputy Chief Executive for the operator, Ulle Skottling, commented that the debut in Ontario was another milestone for the company’s team. He said the team was excited about the prospect of entertaining players in the region. He added that it just made sense for the company to join the competitive market which is devoted to providing work for players and operators.
Ontario’s entry, is the company’s seventh gaming license, after its launch in Malta, Sweden, Denmark, Italy, Spain, and the UK. Also, earlier this month, the operator was penalized for a series of social responsibility and anti-money laundering failures in Great Britain. Its violations were not ensuring customers displaying risk behaviours were identified as potentially experiencing harm.
In addition to that, the company was accused of failing to identify whether a customer was at risk of harm. It was also reported that users showing indicators of harm were still able to gamble significant amounts. The local regulator also claimed that the operator did not provide sufficient AML analysts to process data or undertake AML account reviews.
Regulations are Coming to Ontario Soon
Earlier this month at the Canadian Gaming Summit Tom Mungham, CEO and registrar of the AGCO said that a decision on the influx of betting ads is just weeks away and not months. Officials said that they received 38 responses to their previously suggested amendments to the advertising standards, which included a ban on the use of sports stars in ads by operators.
Meanwhile, Videoslots should also be wary of abiding by Ontario’s Standards for Internet Gambling, as just recently AGCO issued fines on two operators in the market. It issued monetary fines on BV Gaming and Fitzdares Canada Limited for offering illegal bets on Canadian major junior hockey. The two penalties were a total size of CA$30,000.
