Exclusive: Mohegan tribe eyes Canadian igaming expansion in “short order”

The Mohegan tribe will look to expand its igaming and sports betting footprint into the Canadian market through a launch in the province of Ontario, EGR North America has learned.

The Connecticut-based tribe, which launched sports betting in the Constitution State in October in partnership with FanDuel, suggested it would utilise its existing Fallsview Casino Resort and Casino Niagara properties in a push towards igaming in Ontario.

In an exclusive interview with EGR North America, Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment president Ray Pinault suggested the tribe would expand into Ontario “in very short order” once provincial regulators approve operators.

“Canada is somewhere that we’ll be ready to expand into in very short order, its an area we’re already operating in with our land-based casinos, and we have a tremendous database of players,” Pinault told EGR North America.

Referencing Ontario, Pinault continued “We are already preparing ourselves to enter the market, and there’s still regulations and other things that we’re working through with the regulators in that market.

“We hope to launch in the market when its permitted under the new regulatory scheme,” Pinault added.

Ontario began a process to introduce regulated igaming in August 2021, with the launch of iGaming Ontario, a licensing agency under the control of the Alcohol & Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO).

Several operators have been linked with applications for licenses, including PointsBet, theScore and FanDuel, with suppliers including GAN readying operations for the prospective launch date.

However, in December Ontario officials admitted that the provinces long-awaited launch would have to be delayed, with media reports suggesting a mid-February launch date, potentially by the NFL Superbowl on February 13.

The province has been hit with delays in drafting policy conditions, data management and security requirements for the new market, while issues with respect of the relationship between iGaming Ontario (an operator) and AGCO (the regulator) have still to be resolved by legislators.

The knock-on effect is that prospective operators, which include some of the cream of the US market have delayed their own applications for igaming and sports betting licenses, pending confirmation of the rules and the implementation of necessary changes.

Indeed, a recent report commissioned on the Ontario market by land-based casino chain Great Canadian Gaming has suggested that the provinces igaming ambitions could cripple Ontario’s casinos.

In contrast, MGE enjoyed a successful start to life in the Connecticut sports betting and igaming market, despite initial issues resulting in a so-called soft launch period being trialled.

Aside from its extensive land-based operations across the US, the Mohegan tribe recently commissioned a new $5bn resort property located at Incheon International Airport, South Korea, which is scheduled to open in 2023.