Casumo Casino Canada is born giving players in Ontario access to yet another online gambling and betting platform in the province! (Image from courtesy of Casumo Casino)
The UKGC and MGA licenced online casino well-known across Europe is now available to players in Canada’s Ontario province. In a recent press release, Casumo Services Limited announced its Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) licence. The casino will operate under the operator Pret Play Limited which holds licence number OPIG1239089.
Before gaining its licence, Casumo online casino still accepts players from Ontario under the coverage of its Malta Gaming Authority licence. However, now the casino operator behind the platform has decided to go one step further and become a legitimate Ontario iGaming company. This required registering with the newly formed iGaming Ontario (iGO) AGCO subsidiary responsible for the control of online gambling.
Casumo Casino was still able to offer member sign-ups in the province because the AGCO rules do not ban overseas online casinos. Therefore, many MGA-licenced casinos are still able to offer iGaming and sports betting services to players in the province.
However, there’s a catch. Software providers (game suppliers) licenced under the AGCO framework will block players from offering their games to citizens of Ontario. Therefore, even though an MGA-licenced casino shows a brand as available to Ontario members, citizens are unable to access them.
How does this affect Casumo Casino? This clever AGCO rule limits the selection of games available to players registered with the MGA version of the casino. For example, Evolution blocks all players from accessing its live casino games from IPs in Manitoba, British Columbia, Quebec, and Ontario.
Furthermore, there is a growing list of game suppliers blocking players who are members of Curacao and MGA casinos and playing from an Ontario IP address. These are software providers registered with the iGaming Ontario (iGO) AGCO subsidiary.
Some of the software providers already supplying AGCO licenced casinos are as follows. Play’n GO, BetGames, Light & Wonder (Scientific Games), Evolution, Pariplay, Quickspin, Blueprint Gaming, Relax Gaming, Microgaming, 1×2 Gaming, Push Gaming, Playtech, Hacksaw Gaming, and Wazdan. As per new laws, AGCO Canada ended the unregulated iGaming grace transition meaning the grace period for blocking games is now over. Offenders risk a fine, licence suspension or cancellation.
Ontario iGO Software Provider Rules: Under the strict Ontario iGaming licensing rules, none of the software providers operating in the province can allow non-Ontario licenced casinos to give their members access to real money gambling versions of their games. The simple solution for most game suppliers is to block Ontario IP addresses from accessing games via a non-licenced casino platform.
What are the pros and cons for Ontario Casumo Casino Players?
There are plenty of pros and cons to playing online casino games in an area that comes with a dedicated/domestic online casino licensing authority. However, there are two that stand out the most, and I give my opinions of these as follows:
- Legal Representation: Players are protected by local consumer, financial and privacy laws. If there is a casino dispute or any legal ramifications that stem from a complaint, local laws and courts apply. That said, MGA-licenced casinos offer Canadian players legal mediation services and support, so the only real advantage here for Ontario citizens is the use of local courts in case of a legal dispute.
- Game Selection: The number of games via software providers in Ontario is still not on par with overseas casinos. There are fewer than 20 suppliers licenced in the province, while there are over 250 in the iGaming industry. This means players will have a smaller selection of games to choose from while playing at Casumo Casino. That’s despite current software providers operating in the province blocking players from non-AGCO licenced casinos.
The market is still young: The Ontario iGaming and sports betting market is still quite young. It began on 4 April this year. It still has time to grow, so the ‘game selection’ point may not be as bigger an issue as more software providers sign up officially become an iGaming Ontario company. And recent Ontario iGaming financial figures show a healthy first two quarters in business.
Games from the following suppliers are available in Ontario-licenced casinos
- Play’n GO
- BetGames
- Light & Wonder
- Evolution
- Pariplay
- Quickspin
- Blueprint Gaming
- Relax Gaming
- Microgaming
- Pragmatic Play
- 1×2 Gaming
- Push Gaming
- Playtech
- Hacksaw Gaming
- Wazdan
- Many more…
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