Ontario's online poker future at risk if Supreme Court blocks player pooling

TORONTO · The Supreme Court of Canada's pending decision on international player pooling could determine the future of regulated online poker in Ontario, an industry executive warns. Sarne Lightman, managing director of GGPoker parent NSUS Group, said a ruling against pooling would drive players back to unregulated offshore sites. He argued Ontario's current ring-fenced market has drastically reduced game quality and liquidity. Peer-to-peer poker accounted for just over one per cent of the province's $9.74 billion in total wagering from April to August, according to iGaming Ontario.

"Ontario has built one of the most successful regulated iGaming markets in North America, but poker is the exception," said Lightman. "Unlike slots or sports betting, poker is a peer-to-peer game that needs a critical mass of players at the same time. The small liquidity has dramatically reduced tournament prize pools, and many game types and blind levels are no longer offered." The Supreme Court heard arguments on Oct. 7 in a case that will decide if Ontario-based players can compete against international opponents in peer-to-peer games like online poker.

Ontario, supported by Alberta, the Canadian Gaming Association and gaming operators, argues international liquidity should be allowed under the Criminal Code as long as the province continues to conduct and manage legal iGaming. Provincial lottery corporations from British Columbia, Quebec, Manitoba and the Atlantic provinces challenged that interpretation, arguing pooling across international borders exceeds provincial jurisdiction. The court has reserved its decision with no timeline announced for a ruling. Lightman said the ring-fenced model has hit recreational players hardest, as tables are thin outside peak hours. He said players are slowly bleeding off to unregulated black-market poker companies that offer global liquidity but lack proper anti-money laundering and safer gambling protections. "The black market is ultimately a liquidity competitor: players go where the biggest pools, the most games and the largest tournaments are," Lightman said. He added that having several regulators oversee the same network, similar to the United Kingdom and European model, makes it safer, not riskier.

Toronto-headquartered NSUS Group, which runs GGPoker.ca and acquired the World Series of Poker brand in 2024, is licensed in Ontario but does not operate in Alberta's new regulated market. Lightman dismissed the concept of interprovincial pooling between Ontario and Alberta as inadequate to compete with global sites. "Liquidity sharing between Ontario and Alberta would not meaningfully change the current situation," Lightman said. "As Alberta forced all unlicensed operators to cease operations on Tuesday, poker players have already migrated to unregulated offshore sites and will have little incentive to return." He contrasted the proposed European-style model with the United States, where states must sign formal multi-jurisdictional compacts before operators can share player pools. "Even if an agreement could be reached between Alberta and Ontario, a two-province pool would be the U.S. compact model in miniature: too small to compete with the global black market," Lightman said. The Supreme Court case followed a 4-1 decision by the Ontario Court of Appeal in November 2025 that supported international liquidity.