Ontario Just Opened the Door to Global Poker Pools. Here’s What It Means

• Ontario ruling opens door to global online poker liquidity
• Decision may revive stagnant poker and DFS participation
• Cross-border oversight still needed before operators expand access

A landmark ruling by Ontario’s highest appellate court could shake up the province’s online poker and daily fantasy sports (DFS) landscape by permitting regulated platforms to allow players to compete with gamers abroad.

In a 4-1 decision Wednesday, the Court of Appeal for Ontario determined it would be lawful under the Criminal Code of Canada for provincially regulated online gaming and sports-betting sites to permit peer-to-peer wagering between Ontario-based players and those physically located outside Canada. That’s provided all regulatory safeguards are in place.

The ruling could be a game-changer for Ontario’s online poker and DFS players and operators because these peer-to-peer games need a critical mass of players to thrive. The bigger the player pool, the bigger the tournament prizes and choice of games and stakes available, which, in turn, attracts more players.

Major Shift

Ontario is Canada’s most populous state, with 14.2 million residents. That’s decent liquidity, but it’s still a far cry from the wide-open global markets that players enjoyed during the boom years of PokerStars and other international platforms.

The province launched its regulated online gaming licensing regime in April 2022, which essentially ring-fenced the market. Now, licensed sites such as PokerStars, 888poker, and PartyPoker operate in the province under the oversight of iGaming Ontario and the Alcohol and Gaming Commission.

The results have been mixed. Online poker accounts for roughly 2% of the overall provincial online gaming market, and while other verticals grew over the 2023-2024 period, poker remained the same, pointing to stagnation.

Meanwhile, DFS sites like PrizePicks and Underdog have steered clear of Ontario because the closed liquidity model cannot sustain more than a couple of big hitters, leaving little room for additional competitors.

Rest of Canada Frozen Out

Under the proposed model endorsed by the court majority, Ontario players would access a locally regulated portal, while non-Canadian participants would do so through platforms under their own jurisdiction’s oversight.

Crucially, the ruling maintains that players in other Canadian provinces and territories would not be permitted on the same pools unless Ontario reaches inter-provincial agreements.

This model advances public safety by bringing under regulation players who would otherwise access offshore sites,” said the court in its summary.

Implementation will take time. It will require Ontario regulators to hammer out details on many issues, such as how operators will partner with foreign regulators and how identity verification and age limits work across jurisdictions.

But at some point, in the future, Ontarians might find themselves check-raising the living daylights out of players across the world, just like in the good old days.