Report argues online gambling will create 1,300 jobs in Ontario
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A new report argues the launch of private online gambling in Ontario will create 1,300 new jobs in the province.
The findings are from a report by PlayCanada.com, which offers news and research related to the market for regulated online gaming in Canada.
To complete the report, PlayCanada.com says it compiled data and other information from industry insiders, hiring professionals, and economic experts. It includes detailed research of job listings in comparable jurisdictions.
Ontario is scheduled to be the first province to welcome private online gambling operators when online sports betting and casinos launch on April 4.
Robyn McNeil, managing editor at PlayCanada.com, told AM800's The Shift with Patty Handysides that quite a few online gaming sites are hiring.
"TheScore, which I'm sure you know of as a well known Canadian company, they're hiring around 400 people. They've hired about half of those already," she says. "PointsBet has a big wish list of people to hire, around 100 jobs."
McNeil says they don't think land-based casinos will suffer jobs losses as a result of online gaming.
"Usually people are looking for different things. Somebody who is going to a land-based casino is often looking for some social aspect to that. Online is different, you're not going to get that same thing," she says.
McNeil says there will be a lot of good paying jobs with a solid benefits package in the online gambling sector.
"A lot of them are tech related jobs that you need for the back-end of things for sports book. They may be legal or compliance jobs, or certainly some executive level, marketing, public relations, communications," she adds.
In order to operate legally in the province, operators must secure registration with the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) and obtain an operating agreement with iGaming Ontario, a subsidiary of the AGCO. The operators then enter revenue-sharing agreements with the province.
According to Bookies.com, 15 sites have received approval to go live on April 4. The list of approved sportsbook operators does not yet include major brands such as DraftKings Ontario, Caesars, Betway and BallyBet, which are expected to receive licenses prior to Ontario’s launch day or soon thereafter, according to bookies.com.
