Will iGaming Ontario’s New President Bring Provincial Regulatory Changes?

iGaming Ontario (iGO), Ontario’s government-established entity conducting and managing Ontario’s regulated online gambling market, announced the appointment of a new president, Joseph Hillier, at the end of August. Hillier’s position is effective September 8, when he will take over the role from David Smith, the interim president and CEO since Martha Otton’s retirement.

Is the new president set to bring provincial regulatory changes? Read on to find out.

The Appointment of Joseph Hillier

Hillier has a wealth of experience in the industry, having previously worked as Chief Strategy Officer and Corporate Secretary at the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), an entity with which iGO has worked closely to establish an online gaming market that helps protect consumers who gamble through private companies.

Previously, he worked as chief of staff to Ontario Attorney General Hon. Doug Downey. There, he led the development and launch of Canada’s first private sector-driven iGaming market and eventually iGaming Ontario.

He’s more than qualified for the role of president and chief executive officer at iGO. iGO itself stated, “The board of directors looks forward to supporting Joseph as he leads iGaming Ontario to build on Ontario’s iGaming market success and deliver on key priorities, including an anti-money laundering system for operators and a centralized self-exclusion platform for Ontarians.”

Will Joseph Hillier Bring Provincial Regulatory Changes?

Hillier is no stranger to bringing provincial regulatory changes. At AGCO, he was directly involved in overseeing gambling regulation at a provincial level. His background is evidence that he can drive strategic and regulatory initiatives in diverse sectors.

The statement released by iGO alongside the announcement of Hillier’s appointment does hint that, yes, his role will include introducing new provincial regulatory changes. Those include, but probably won’t be limited to, the anti-money laundering (AML) system for operators and a centralized self-exclusion platform for Omani online gamblers.

Despite iGO stating in their 2024-2027 business plan that their operators comply with FINTRAC’s anti-money laundering reporting requirements, there’s no automation.

Another change iGO is keen to introduce is a centralized self-exclusion registry. That would enable players to self-exclude from all Ontario-regulated iGaming websites.

Those are the initial priorities and changes we’re expected to see Hillier work on. The iGaming market is constantly evolving with new regulations and operator requirements, so we’re sure he won’t stop there.

Ontario’s Online Gambling Market

Ontario is the only province in Canada with an open, regulated iGaming market. iGO alone has 51 registered operators with 83 gaming websites as of Q2, 202, but there are many more on the market, including overseas operators, that are driving the rapid growth of Ontario’s iGaming market.

It’s arguably the most active online gambling market in Ontario. iGO recently released its July 2025 market data report, showing $7,563 million in total cash wagers, up 4% from June. That made the Total Non-Adjusted Gross Gaming Revenue (NAGGR) $7,563 million, up 1% from June.

Interestingly, there was a 6% decrease in active player accounts since June, a figure counteracted by an 8% increase in the Average Revenue per Active Player Account (ARPPA), at $328 per account. From the data they’ve released, over the last 13 months, the NAGGR is $95,018 million, but the number of active accounts is down from the February high of 1,129 thousand. All data is available through the iGaming Ontario’s Market Performance Report on their website.

Looking at Q2 data released by iGO, total wagers reached $18.7 billion, not including promotional wagers, resulting in a 1.6% increase from Q1 and a 31.7% year-on-year increase. Promotional wagers (bonuses) account for a massive part of online gambling activity. An example is bonuses of 300% up to CA$5,000, plus 350 free spins, plus 1 claw machine, with many more casino bonuses and promotions available in Canada, all of which can be found on Casino.org. Those types of bonuses are what draw new active player accounts in as well as keeping on trend with established customers

Data also shows online casino activity is the highest compared to online betting and peer-to-peer (P2P) poker, accounting for $16 billion (86%) of all wagers and $553 billion (75% of gaming revenue).

Is Ontario’s iGaming Market One of the Best?

Without a doubt. Before the iGO started in 2022, it was estimated that 70% of the iGaming market was unregulated and dangerous. Within 18 months of operation by the iGO, Ontario’s iGaming market became the most competitive in North America. There are, by far, more operators than in any other province or state.

Now, as long as players opt for one of the regulated operators, iGaming in Ontario is relatively safe. Some people call it the ‘number one online gambling market in the world’, and we’d have to agree. The work the iGO has done so far has been nothing short of remarkable, and we’re excited to see how the appointment of Hillier continues to revolutionize the market.

Hillier is expected to make swift changes and implementations based on the 2024-2027 iGO business plan. He is an incredibly experienced and knowledgeable expert to have at the helm of an organization that’s already doing so much. Without the work of the iGO, Ontario’s iGaming market wouldn’t be what it is today. Let’s wait and see what other regulation changes Hillier brings.