We have certainly written a lot about the number of licensed operators that have been opening up shop in the Ontario online casino market since it opened last April 4.
This time the announcement is that one of those operators is shutting down.
Thatâs the news from Coolbet, which has this post on its website:
âWe regret to inform you that after having operated for a year in Ontario, we will stop offering our services to all the cool people of Ontario after April 3.â
Coolbet Takes Steps Toward Ontario Closure
The operator then lays out all of the steps that would concern customers during the shutdown. Coolbet will turn off all deposit options on March 21, encouraging people to withdraw their funds as soon as possible.
The company will close its Ontario sportsbook app and online casino on March 22, offering a support email if, after April 3, people still have remaining balances in their account.
The question of who and how many would survive long term in a competitive Ontario market is starting to take shape. There is only so much market share to go around.
Still 43 Ontario Online Casino Apps
Even with Coolbetâs departure, there will still be 43 licensed companies operating live online Ontario casino apps.
âIt was definitely a bit of a surprise to read the news about Coolbet exiting Ontario, but I suppose if you apply some rational thought it makes sense that some operators will choose not to continue in Ontario,â said Aly Lalani, head of marketing for BetRegal, which is still waiting on AGCO licensing.
âThe sheer amount of licensed operators has caused a hyper-competitive environment. With so many suitors bidding for the same inventory/partnerships/sponsorships, the marketing costs are significantly higher than we initially anticipated. I would assume that would apply to others that didnât necessarily anticipate how frenzied it would be in Ontario in Year 1.â
Those online casino options, or iGaming, include popular Ontario online slots apps as well as card games, roulette and more.
Some Whittling Down Anticipated
Lalani said he anticipated the method of whittling down operators would happen through acquisitions, rather than operators choosing not to continue operating under license.
âI anticipate that Coolbet did the appropriate analysis and came to the strategic conclusion that fighting against the largest operators, who donât seem concerned with profitability, was a battle that couldnât be won,â he added. âThe more we see the evolution of the Ontario market, and the huge numbers in terms of marketing costs (instead of GGR), I do believe there will be a âlate mover advantageâ to some degree, in that the largest operators in the market are investing millions of dollars introducing a category to an emerging market.
âThere will be some value to operators stepping in at a later stage to benefit from this audience education. I would love to say that the fact that BetRegal isnât in the market yet was a shrewd strategic move as we wait for the dust to settle. It was not. However, itâs looking more and more like sitting back, and letting the big marketing budgets initially fight it out over artificial market share, is a viable strategy.â
Compare the best Ontario sports betting options at OntarioBets, where youâll find a list of features and perks plus reviews of each operator.
