Before you test the waters at the best Ontario Online Poker rooms, get informed with our review below. Learn everything you need to know about playing online poker in Ontario 2023.
Considered one of the most lucrative regulated poker markets in the world, Ontario Canada online poker players have a plethora of options when it comes to where to grind on the virtual felts. Operators have flocked to serve the 15 million+ people that live in Ontario when it was announced that April 4th, 2022, would be the go-live date for the country’s first fenced-in poker market and we review the sites that are currently offering games.
Similar to other articles we have published about online poker rooms, there are several factors that are considered when we review Ontario poker rooms:
At the time of writing of this article, the Ontario online poker site market is only 6 months old, and so far, most of the big players globally have set-up shop. 888 Poker was the first to go live on April 4th, 2022, with BetMGM / partypoker following very soon after. Below is a chart showing the operators currently offering real money poker to Ontario.
PokerStars is allowed in Ontario after they received their license from the AGCO and went live with PokerStars Ontario on June 28th, 2022. The world’s biggest online poker operator has roots in Canada and offices in the greater Toronto area, so it came as no surprise that they launched, although it came almost 3 months after the provincial launch date. However, not all the offerings from the global site are available, most notably are the Sunday Million and the popular Kick-Off games.
Yes, 888poker was the first operator to go live in Ontario on April 4th, 2022, under the new law and poker players began playing on the site right away. Established in 2002, the site is one of the most well-known and trusted brands, having previously sponsored the World Series of Poker (WSOP) in the mid-2010’s. Most of the games on the global site will be found here in the fenced-in Ontario room but some of the higher buy-in games won’t be offered initially.
Yes, Entain’s most well-known poker brand is operational in Ontario. partypoker joined bwin and BetMGM on a three-skin network that went live on day 2 of legal poker in Ontario on April 5th, 2022 and began offering real money cash games and tournament poker. Some of the high roller offerings will also not be in the client but could be added over time if traffic warrants.
Yes, Ontario poker players can play real money poker on WSOP.ca, powered by GGPoker. This marks the first time that the WSOP has partnered with a different operator to offer real money poker and opportunities to win circuit rings, as well as the first time the WSOP brand has been available outside of the US. However, the site is currently the last to launch, going live on Sept. 30th, 2022. The most notable change will be the absence of the Flip N Go tournaments offered on the global site, will not be available on WSOP.ca right now.
The registration process for playing real money poker is similar to those in other markets around the world with a couple of key distinctions.
As the market is still relatively new, operators will continue to look to add more withdrawal and deposit options for players but there are a couple of big distinctions to note. First, since this is a regulated market, Ontario poker rooms will not have options for decentralized payment methods like crypto. However, players will have plenty of options to move money on and off the poker rooms like:
Online poker is 100% legal and safe, made more so by the decision of the Ontario government to regulate the iGaming industry. The government established the AGCO – the Alcohol & Gaming Commission of Ontario to oversee both the request for proposal process for interested operators to apply to offer poker, as well as to regulate and police the operators to ensure they work within the bounds set out.
Online poker became fully legal on April 4th, 2022, when operators could begin to convert to a fenced in, regulated market offering their products to residents. Provided that the operators were working towards finalizing their license, poker rooms did not have to convert to an Ontario only room right away. However, by the end of October, the government expects that every operator has converted and will begin to pursue unlicensed operators although it remains to be seen exactly how they intend to do this.
The rules for poker winnings are similar to those for gambling and lottery wins in Canada and Ontario in that they are not subject to tax, as per Section 3 of Canada’s Income Tax Act. The exception would be pros that playing poker is their primary source of income, and they act like a business on a day-to-day basis. This won’t apply to recreational players, even if they have a big win on the virtual felts.
