FanDuel will withdraw its daily fantasy sports product from Ontario from 1 April, in line with the Canadian province’s regulations for when its online betting and gaming market opens to licensed operators.
Ontario is set to launch licensed sports betting and igaming on 4 April, ending a state monopoly. Earlier this month, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) released a guide for operators that revealed that businesses which apply for registration before the 4 April launch must cease operations in Ontario from the moment their registration is approved by AGCO.
FanDuel is among the operators that has received a licence, and as a result it has opted to withdraw its daily fantasy sports brand, including both free and paid games, as this vertical is not permitted under the new regime.
The operator did note, however, that its daily fantasy sports brand would still be available in other provinces.
All entries submitted prior to April 1 will run as normal, with all winnings fully eligible for withdrawal.
In September of 2021, the province published its final standards for online betting and gaming. The rules for online gaming include a ban on auto-play and a minimum spin speed of 2.5 seconds for slots.
However, questions have been raised over whether the manner in which Ontario is set to open up its market is consistent with the Criminal Code of Canada.
Other operators such as LeoVegas, Rush Street Interactive, Rivalry, theScoreBet and 888 have also secured approval to launch in Ontario.
