If you live in Ontario, you probably have noticed that a lot of daily fantasy sports platforms do not operate in your province. Daily fantasy sports are legal to play in Ontario, however.
Not only that, but there are multiple legal platforms for daily fantasy sports Ontario players who are looking for exciting contests and promotions. In this post, we will introduce you to a few of our favorite platforms.
Table of Contents
- Is it Legal to Play Daily Fantasy Sports in Ontario?
- Legal Daily Fantasy Sports Ontario Sites
- Legal Daily Fantasy Sports Ontario Sites with Restrictions
- Illegal Daily Fantasy Sports Ontario Sites
- Daily Fantasy Sports Ontario FAQ
Is it Legal to Play Daily Fantasy Sports in Ontario?
Yes, it is legal to play daily fantasy sports in Ontario. There is, however, a catch. In many states, provinces and territories, daily fantasy sports are classified as legal games of skill. But in Ontario, daily fantasy sports are classified as gambling.
Ontario’s laws regarding DFS are restrictive, and make it hard for DFS sites to offer services in the province. For contests to be legal in Ontario, they must be licensed by a body run by the provincial government.
As a result, many DFS platforms simply do not accept Ontario customers, because they do not want to run these limited contests. Thankfully, a few of them do. While we hope the selection expands in the future, there are some quality options right now for Ontario DFS players.
Legal Daily Fantasy Sports Ontario Sites
There are several legal daily fantasy sports Ontario websites that we are aware of at this time. We will start with the only two sites we currently know of that offer unrestricted DFS in Ontario.
OwnersBox – Claim a $500 first deposit bonus
At OwnersBox, Ontario residents can participate in paid daily fantasy sports contests. The reason OwnersBox is able to accommodate Ontario customers so fully is because the site itself is owned and operated by a company that is based in Ontario.
You can sign-up for OwnersBox at this link here. When you do so, you’ll be eligible for a first deposit bonus worth up to $500. You can also access the OwnersBox promo code that offers users the chance to win two Super Bowl tickets.
Drafters
One more site where Ontario residents are able to take part in paid DFS contests is Drafters, which is based in Toronto.
If more daily fantasy sports Ontario sites start appearing in the future, we will update this post.
Legal Daily Fantasy Sports Ontario Sites with Restrictions
Along with OwnersBox and Drafters, there are a few other DFS sites accepting Ontario customers. However, the contests that you can participate in are limited. Let’s take a look.
FanDuel
FanDuel is among the biggest names in the DFS space. On this page, FanDuel confirms that it has a “strong presence in Ontario and plans to expand to other provinces soon.” That said, the situation appears to be complicated, going by this FAQ answer.
It seems that within Ontario itself, FanDuel is not offering DFS contests, but “Ontario residents can participate in daily fantasy contests while physically located in other provinces and within US states where daily fantasy is permitted. Additionally, Ontario residents will be able to utilize the FanDuel Sportsbook and Casino products launching in Ontario beginning April 4th.”
DraftKings
DraftKings, another of the biggest DFS sites, also operates in Ontario. Judging from this FAQ answer, the scenario with DK in Ontario is exactly the same as it is with FanDuel. Once again, Ontario residents are welcome to enter contests, but you must physically be outside Ontario to do it.
ParlayPlay – Get a 100% first deposit match up to $100
Going by our research, you cannot participate in paid DFS contests at ParlayPlay in Ontario. But you can take part in Free2Play contests on this site. These appear to be available everywhere in Canada and the USA.
Illegal Daily Fantasy Sports Ontario Sites
Here are a few daily fantasy sports sites that currently do not accept customers in Ontario.
Underdog Fantasy
This is one of our very favorite DFS sites, offering Best Ball, Pick’em and Battle Royale contests. Although Underdog Fantasy is available throughout the rest of Canada, it currently does not offer DFS contests in Ontario. We hope this changes soon.
If you’re in Canada not located in Ontario, sign-up for Underdog Fantasy and get a 100% Underdog Fantasy deposit bonus that could be worth up to $500.
Thrive Fantasy
The Thrive Fantasy terms and conditions make it clear that in order to participate on the site, one must be a US citizen or resident. So, not only does Thrive Fantasy not take customers from Ontario, but they do not serve Canadian customers at all at this time.
JockMKT
The most recent updates we have seen suggest that JockMKT is interested in expanding into Canada, but we have found no further details. At this time, the site is not available for DFS in Ontario.
Daily Fantasy Sports Ontario FAQ
To wrap up this post, let’s answer a few frequently asked questions about the legality of daily fantasy sports in Ontario.
Yes, daily fantasy sports are legal within Ontario. But due to the restrictive laws regarding DFS contests in Ontario, only a few daily fantasy sports Ontario sites are in operation.
DFS is not illegal in Ontario. This is a common misconception owing to the fact that a lot of DFS sites do not accept Ontario customers. But there are a few daily fantasy sports Ontario sites you can use.
The best options for playing daily fantasy sports in Ontario are OwnersBox and Drafters. But you can also try ParlayPlay for free contests or FanDuel and DraftKings if you are physically outside of Ontario.
As an Ontario resident, you can play in FanDuel fantasy contests only when physically outside Ontario and in provinces, territories or states where FanDuel offers DFS.
As an Ontario resident, you can enter contests on DraftKings only when you are physically outside Ontario, and in provinces, territories or states where DK offers daily fantasy contests.
Daily fantasy sports Ontario sites and apps serve the entire province of Ontario, including Toronto, Ottawa, Hamilton, Kitchener, Windsor, Kingston, North Bay and all other cities, towns and communities.