iGaming Ontario (iGO) is now officially a standalone agency, no longer a subsidiary of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO).

The provincial government confirmed on Friday that iGO begins life as its own independent agency as of Monday, May 12. From its inception in July 2021 until May 11, 2025, iGO had been a subsidiary of the AGCO.

Under the terms of the iGaming Ontario Act, which was passed last fall as part of the Building Ontario For You Act, 2024, and officially took effect on Monday, iGO is now its own entity under the provincial Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Gaming.

“Ontario has been leading the way in Canada by establishing a strong, competitive, and responsible gaming market – including online gaming – that protects consumers, sets clear rules and ensures a level playing field for businesses,” said a provincial government release.

“The iGaming Ontario Act will come into force, strengthening iGaming Ontario’s governance and accountability structure as well as contributing to the continued success of Ontario’s thriving iGaming market.”

Partial result of conflict-of-interest concern

Last November, a spokesperson from the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General told Canadian Gaming Business that the legal change was made in part to address a concern of a conflict of interest raised by Ontario’s Auditor General.

“This change would strengthen iGO’s governance and accountability structure and contribute to the continued success of Ontario’s thriving iGaming market by positioning the agency as a competitive employer and addressing a conflict-of-interest concern raised by the Auditor General,” confirmed the spokesperson of Doug Downey‘s office.

The AGCO regulates the offerings of Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG), the government crown corporation that was the only provider of approved online gaming in the province until April 4, 2022. OLG’s commercial competitors are regulated by the AGCO and, unlike the crown corporation’s online gambling operations, conducted and managed by iGO.

The change to organizational structure comes at a time when iGO is actively looking for a new leader to replace retired Executive Director Martha Otton. The iGO board of directors, led by Chair Heidi Reinhart, have been searching for Otton’s replacement for months and in December, iGO announced that Otton had postponed her retirement to March 2025 to allow iGO more time to identify and appoint her successor as leader.

The new leader will officially have the titles of president and CEO of the now-independent agency.

CGB reached out to iGO on Monday seeking an update on this hiring process but had not heard back at the time of writing.