Daily Fantasy Sports Players Seek To Revive Contests In Ontario

Daily Fantasy Sports fans are being urged to send emails to lawmakers, asking to revive DFS contests in Ontario, Canada’s most populated province.

At the Fantasy Sports For All website, Ontario users can type their own message to authorities, or use the message already in place, then hit a “Send Email” red button to fire it off. The website is produced by a collaboration of DFS operators.

The pre-formatted message reads, “As your constituent, I am calling on you to help bring daily fantasy sports back online in Ontario.”

“It doesn’t make sense to me that Ontarians would be banned from participating in daily fantasy sports contests,” the message states.

The push to revive daily fantasy sports in Ontario is occurring during a popular time for DFS participants. The  NFL regular season is in full swing, and the NHL and NBA regular seasons are scheduled to begin in October. Ice hockey is especially popular in Canada, with NHL betting generating interest throughout the season.

Fees, Taxes Lead To DFS Shutdown

About six months ago, New York-based FanDuel shut down its DFS operations in Ontario, citing “a change in government regulations.”

Other DFS operators also pulled the plug on these contests in Ontario, while still offering traditional sports betting and iGaming.

In a news release at the time, the Fantasy Sports & Gaming Association said high fees and taxes made operating paid fantasy sports contests in Ontario “impossible for almost every operator.”

In Ontario, DFS operators are required to pay a registration fee of $100,000, plus a 25% tax on revenue. These rates are almost double what DFS operators pay in the U.S., according to the association. 

Ontario also requires all players participating in DFS contests to be physically located in the province, limiting the size of player pools.

DFS Association To Work With Officials

Ontario officials have not indicated they are willing to make concession to restore DFS contests in the province beyond the current offering. One operator, OwnersBox, makes its SuperFlex DFS game available throughout Canada, including Ontario, according to its website.

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission says on its website the choice to offer pay-to-play fantasy sports “is an individual business decision that rests with registered operators.”

The commission urges anyone seeking additional information to contact the province's chief legal adviser.

“We understand that operators are not currently offering pay-to-play fantasy sports primarily because of their inability to allow individuals not located in Ontario to access the regulated Ontario offering (i.e. pooled liquidity),” the commission website states. “Questions about this issue should be directed to the Ministry of the Attorney General."

The Fantasy Sports & Gaming Association has said it will continue working with Ontario officials on a solution.

Sports Betting, Online Casinos Remian Active in Ontario 

The issues regarding daily fantasy sports have no impact on other online gaming in the province.

In April, mobile bookmakers were approved to offer sports betting and online casinos in Ontario. 

FanDuel, DraftKing and BetMGM are among the online operators offering these games to bettors in the province.