Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario

Last updated

Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario
French: Commission des alcools et des jeux de l’Ontario
Agco-black-logo.png
Agency overview
FormedFebruary 23, 1998 (1998-02-23)
Preceding agencies
Type Crown agency
Jurisdiction Government of Ontario
Headquarters90 Sheppard Avenue East
Suite 200-300
Toronto, Ontario
M2N 0A4
Minister responsible
Agency executive
  • Dave Forestell, Chair
Key document
Website agco.ca

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) is a Crown regulatory agency responsible for the regulation of the alcohol, gaming, horse racing, and cannabis retail sectors in the Canadian province of Ontario. [1] The AGCO reports to the Attorney General of Ontario. [2]

Contents

History

The AGCO was established on February 23, 1998, by the Government of Ontario under the Alcohol and Gaming Regulation and Public Protection Act of 1996. [3] This Act transferred responsibility for the Liquor Licence Act and the Gaming Control Act to the newly formed AGCO. As a result, the Government of Ontario subsequently passed legislation dissolving the Liquor Licence Board of Ontario, the Racing Commission of Ontario, and the Gaming Control Commission.

On April 1, 2016, the AGCO assumed responsibility for regulating horse racing under the Horse Racing Licence Act, 2015. [4] With the legalization of cannabis in Canada, the AGCO assumed responsibility for regulating private cannabis retail stores under the Cannabis Licence Act, 2018 on October 17, 2018. [5]

iGaming Ontario

On July 6, 2021, the Government of Ontario established iGaming Ontario (iGO) as a subsidiary of the AGCO to oversee and regulate online gaming operations offered by private gaming companies (also known as operators). [6] iGO opened the iGaming market on April 4, 2022, and operators became eligible to offer their games to players in Ontario. iGO became a standalone agency on May 12, 2025. [7]

Responsibilities

The responsibilities of the AGCO include the administration of the:

The AGCO also administers sections of the:

References

  1. ↑ "Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO)". Commercial Gaming Association of Ontario (CGAO). Retrieved 2025-10-12.
  2. ↑ Keast, Mark (2025-06-20). "Ontario Looks to Crack Down On Illegal Gaming Sites". Casino.org. Retrieved 2025-10-12.
  3. ↑ "Liquor Tax Act, 1996, S.O. 1996, c. 26". ontario.ca. Government of Ontario. 2025-08-01. Retrieved 2025-10-12.
  4. ↑ "Horse Racing Licence Act, 2015, S.O. 2015, c. 38, Sched. 9". ontario.ca. Government of Ontario. 2021-11-29. Retrieved 2025-10-12.
  5. ↑ Simmons, Louisa; Kilby, Hannah; Sagolj, David (2018-10-17). "Legal cannabis and schools: Here are four things you should know". Capital Current. Retrieved 2025-10-12.
  6. ↑ Millán, Luis (2021-06-09). "Place your bets". nationalmagazine.ca. Canadian Bar Association . Retrieved 2025-10-12.
  7. ↑ Nightingale, Tom (2025-05-12). "iGaming Ontario Now Officially Independent From AGCO". canadiangamingbusiness. Retrieved 2025-08-08.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.