Is Pinnacle Sportsbook Soon Launching in Ontario?

Pinnacle received its AGCO licence late on Wednesday, meaning its arrival into the legal Ontario market could be imminent.

Jared Hochman - Content Manager at Covers.com
Jared Hochman • Content Manager
Sep 8, 2022 • 08:54 ET • 2 min read
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Ontario sports betting may soon have an industry giant joining the regulated market, as speculation arose Wednesday morning that Pinnacle will soon be joining the legal sports betting fold. 

It started with a tweet from a sports betting analyst at Eilers & Krejcik Gaming, suggesting that Pinnacle will be launching in the province in the immediate future.

A response to Allen's tweet — from Pinnacle's Canada Country Manager — is what truly has people believing Pinnacle will be exiting the grey-area market in Ontario sooner rather than later.

"Pinnacle will be launching when it receives its license which we hope is imminently," said the tweet from Steven Rapp.

At the time of the tweet exchange, Pinnacle, which has been around for roughly 20 years, had yet to receive an internet gaming licence from the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), nor has it been approved as a regulated operator by iGaming Ontario.

But a check of the AGCO's list of issued licences on Wednesday afternoon revealed that the operator had indeed been issued an operator licence — meaning all that's left is the iGO approval for Pinnacle to join Ontario, which currently has more than 20 regulated operators.

Big boost to Ontario

The addition of Pinnacle, and the customer base it has acquired over decades of grey-area operation, would be a big help to the province's iGaming market, which reported a disappointing $162 million in revenue (from sports betting and online casino) on more than $4 billion in handle through the first three months of activity.

Pinnacle becoming licenced would be the third of the three major grey-area brands — Betway launched on August 1 and Sports Interaction last week — to become regulated since those Q1 numbers were released, meaning they could have some effect on the Q2 numbers (July-August-September) and could really boost the province's Q3 numbers and beyond.

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Jared Hochman Content Manager at Covers.com
Content Manager

Before Jared Hochman joined the Covers team in 2020, he worked for newspaper outlets such as the Chronicle Herald and The Coast, worked in marketing for SkipTheDishes and Vivid Seats, and previously ran a magazine. A journalism graduate from the University of King's College in, Halifax, N.S., "Hoch" brings more than a decade of experience in sports betting, having worked as a freelance handicapper, making appearances on Monumental Sports Network and the Sharp 600 podcast, and now also filling in occasionally as host of Covers' NHL Puck Props. 

Awarded Covers' company MVP for 2023, Jared is an avid bettor of MLB, NFL, NHL, and NBA, while also wagering on some soccer and WNBA. His best advice for sports bettors? Price shop — something he does daily across 10 different sportsbook apps.

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