August 24, 2022 6y4011
Sports Interaction, the main online sportsbook and casino brand based in the sovereign First Nations territory of Kahnawake, which has served Canada since the late 1990s, has today gained its license from the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario to operate within that province's newly regulated iGaming market.
The move today could be seen by some as an official change of tack for both the SIA brand and the Gaming Commission of Kahnawake. Prior to the decriminalisation of single-event sports betting in Canada, representatives from Kahnawake openly campaigned to stop the associated Bill C-218 from ing into law.
Bill C-218 did however into law on June 22, 2021. In February 2022, the parent company of Sports Interaction, legal Ontario betting sites Bwin and PartyCasino brands and through its 50/50 t venture with BetMGM.
By AGCO rules, Entain would not be able to operate these other brands in Ontario with licenses, but at the same time keep SIA serving Ontario players without the appropriate license. In other words, Entain could choose to lose the SIA Ontario players, or it could gain the Ontario license for SIA and keep its Ontario players playing.
They of course opted for the latter, in order to fully justify the price paid for Avid Gaming. Sports Interaction players that are located in other provinces and territories can continue to play at the betting site and online casino based in Kahnawake.
Go back to SNBET's Ontario sports betting news page.
|