Ontario – On February 2, 2024, Ontario filed a reference with the Court of Appeal to clarify whether permitting people in Ontario to participate in online games and betting involving players located outside of Canada would be consistent with the Criminal Code.
The Order in Council sets out the question to be addressed by the court: Would legal online gaming and sports betting remain lawful under the Criminal Code if its users were permitted to participate in games and betting involving individuals outside of Canada as described in the attached Schedule? If not, to what extent?
On March 1, 2024, the court issued a scheduling order setting out the timetable for the reference. The scheduling order indicates parties wishing to intervene in the reference must serve their materials by April 8, 2024. It also provides contact information for those parties to serve the Attorney General of Ontario. The reference will be heard from November 26-28, 2024 in Toronto.