Kindred announced Monday it is expanding in the regulated North American states after the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) granted the company an iGaming license to operate in the province, where a new online market is set to open on April 4. This granted license marks the seventh in North America where Kindred is represented by its flagship brand Unibet.
The Unibet Sportsbook and iGaming products will be available to customers in Ontario via on.unibet.ca and the mobile apps will be available in Apple Store and Google Play Store after the market launches.
In an official press release, Amanda Brewer, Country Manager Canada, Kindred Group, spoke about this newly granted license and said: “This is an exciting day and a significant milestone for both Kindred and Unibet. We are proud to have received permission to launch in Ontario on the first day the market opens and look forward to building long-term relationships with our customers and partners. The iGaming market in Ontario is expected to be one of the largest in North America, which makes it a truly interesting proposition for Kindred.”
“Ontario is full of sports teams and passionate fans, which is no surprise given the history and popularity of the NHL, NBA and MLB leagues. What makes Ontario unique is that thanks to its multicultural population matches within for example soccer, rugby, tennis, curling, and cricket are easily found. There will be no shortage of sports for fans to wager on when the market opens on 4 April. We are excited to provide fans with first class products and experiences”, Brewer concluded.
AGCO first confirmed licensed operators were Penn National Gaming’s subsidiary theScore Bet, Rivalry Corp and PointsBet. FanDuel, BetMGM, FansUnite and Rush Street Interactive have recently joined the list. Israel-based 888 followed, right before GGPoker was granted a license to launch a WSOP.ca poker site in the province.
So far, WSOP/GGPoker and 888 are the first two poker operators to receive such authorization. Bet365, LeoVegas, and suppliers Inspired, Play’n GO and Kambi were among the last ones to receive approvals for the market.
The launch of the new online gaming market in Ontario was announced by iGaming Ontario and AGCO, in a joint effort that seeks to establish a new market that will help protect consumers and provide more choice.
Private gaming operators registered with the AGCO that have executed an operating agreement with iGO can begin offering their games to players in Ontario as from the launching date. Companies will operate gaming sites in the market on behalf of the province in accordance with these agreements.
Less than a month away from Ontario’s online gaming market launch, the province regulator issued new guidance warning operators in the process of securing a license to cease unregulated activities when the market opens.
