Penn National, Rivalry Welcome Ontario iGaming, Local Tribes Concerned

Canada is moving forward with its iGaming plans, but not everyone is happy. Rivalry Corp and Penn National Gaming have released positive statements in support of the launch of the marketplace. However, the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation (MSIFN) aren’t as impressed.

Ontario Getting Closer to iGaming Launch

Private casino operators that have registered with the Canadian Alcohol and Gaming Commission (AGCO) and signed an operating agreement (iGO) with iGaming Ontario may start offering their products to Canadian players as of April 4.

TheScore, a Penn National subsidiary, plans to make its TheScore Bet gambling brand live in Ontario. Although it still needs to meet all regulatory requirements and enter into a commercial agreement, Penn National President & CEO Jay Snowden was positive this won’t be difficult.

He said in a press release that TheScore is already Canada’s “most recognized digital media brand,” and is uniquely positioned in Ontario to capitalize on the opening of a free and regulated online gaming market. Snowden added:

“Launching TheScore Bet in Ontario will mark an exciting expansion of our online gaming business into a major new market where we already have an established mobile sports media product in TheScore app and a wide base of loyal users.”

Penn National President & CEO Jay Snowden

Rivalry Corp co-founder and CEO Steven Salz is as excited as Snowden. The sports betting and media company, headquartered in Toronto, has submitted an application for the AGCO. In a separate press release, Salz asserted:

“We support this decision and believe it is the best way forward for the province. Rivalry has been involved in the Ontario licensing process since it was first announced, and we look forward to launching services in our home market.”

Rivalry Corp co-founder and CEO Steven Salz

Court Challenge on its Way

The MSIFN doesn’t share the same enthusiasm about the impending launch. The tribe believes iGaming will decimate its economy and “set back decades of community development efforts.” The theory is that iGaming will cannibalize the tribe’s land-based Great Blue Heron Casino and Hotel. However, no one has yet produced evidence that online casinos have a major impact on land-based alternatives.

The tribe’s chief, Kelly LaRocca, released a statement last Friday, explaining that it might take the province to court over the launch. She added, “[Friday’s] announcement by the Ford government is a slap in the face of First Nations, and reduces their promises of reconciliation to a joke. The government completely and utterly failed to consult our First Nation – leaving their iGaming launch open to constitutional challenge.”

In response to the claim, the executive director of iGaming Ontario, Martha Otton, pointed out the obvious. iGaming is taking place in Ontario already, but gamblers are using offshore or unlicensed sites. If these individuals were so inclined, they would already be visiting the Great Blue Heron. Since they’re not, the casino isn’t losing that income.