【скачать melbet на windows 7】Fitzdares Discontinues iGaming Operations in Ontario

Fitzdare announces its decision to suspend operations across Ontario.

The United Kingdom-based operator will down its regulated iGaming services in Canada’s most populous province. The jurisdiction’s open gaming market remains oversaturated with more than 50 third-party operators offering sports betting and casino games for Ontarians.

Just over two years ago, Fitzdares received its license to operate as a legal online gaming operator from the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario. According to the regulator’s online registry, the operator’s license expires on April 3, 2025.

On Monday, March 3, 2025, Fitzdares announced its decision to shut down online operations across the province. In its emails to customers, the brand said “after serving our customers in Ontario for the past two years, we have taken the difficult decision to exit.”

Leaving Ontario at the end of March

In its email, the operator also shared the following:

“Fitzdares Ontario will be ceasing operations effective midnight on March 31st, 2025,” the email added. “You will be able to continue to enjoy betting with us until March 31st. Full details about our closure can be found on our site.”

Following the announcement from Fitzdares, players must withdraw their funds from the platforms by March 31, 2025. Users should know that the minimum withdrawal is CA$5, therefore any funds below that will require a minimum deposit to be fully withdrawn.

Meanwhile, as of March 3, 2025, the operator no longer offers any bonuses or promotions in the province. Additionally, the brand will not accept deposits from Ontario bettors starting from March 11, 2025. However, this doesn’t apply to CA$5 transactions, as they will be needed for users to withdraw funds.

Furthermore, the operator will stop taking new bets on its sportsbook platforms and casino as of March 25, 2025. In its email to bettors, the company also addressed personal data concerns saying:

“Rest assured that your personal data will be handled securely and in accordance with applicable privacy regulations. If you have any questions or require further assistance, our support team is available at [email protected]. We sincerely appreciate your time with Fitzdares Ontario and thank you for your support.”

The news of Fitzdares withdrawing from Ontario’s regulated market arrived shortly after the operator’s CEO, William Woodham, left his position. The long-term leader of the renowned UK brand announced his decision earlier in 2025.

His term was quite eventful and even included the expansion of Fitzdare outside of the U.K. to key jurisdictions worldwide, including Ontario, Canada.

Fitzdares is Not the First

Still, the operator’s move to withdraw from Ontario comes as no surprise, given the competitive nature of the iGaming model. Presently, more than 50 private operators that offer sports betting, bingo, casino games, and poker. On top of that, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation also has an iGaming product.

However, Fitzdare is not the first third-party gaming brand to suspend work in The Heartland Province. Since the launch of the iGaming market, several operators have already discontinued services in the jurisdiction. This includes Coolbet and Unibet. Still, the market remains competitive and leading names like FanDuel and DraftKings continue their business.

Back then, Coolbet and Unibet cited the oversaturation of the market as one of the reasons to withdraw from the jurisdiction. They also didn’t want to spend huge amounts of funds on promotional campaigns, just to be able to compete with the plethora of operators.

In a recent interview regarding Fitzdares departure from Ontario, Clive Harris, country manager for Canada for the operator said this:

“We have loved Ontario, and made some great friends, but the cost of doing business was becoming prohibitive. We will continue to monitor the competitive and regulatory environment closely, as we gear up for exciting times ahead.”

Unable to Accommodate to the Market

Under the current iGaming regime, Ontario mandates that private operators must pay CA$100,000 annually on a licensing fee. The brands are also required to share around 20% of their revenue with the province.

The U.K.-based Fitzdare was first launched in 1882 and has been taking bets ever since then. However, the company’s objective was to bring an old-fashioned gaming experience in a difficult market. Thus, making it even harder for the brand.

Horse Racing Was Among the Issues

There’s another issue. Back home, the Fitzdares brand is a synonym for gentlemanly clubs and its close connection to horse racing. However, in Ontario, the operator was not able to launch such a club for gambling on horse racing.

At the moment, if operators want to offer regulated bets on horse racing, they must partner with Woodbine Entertainment Group. The group holds significant operational rights and infrastructure for online horse racing. This made it even more difficult for Fitzdares to fulfil its mission of offering a ‘premium element’ for horse racing.

Speaking about the iGaming market of Ontario, former CEO Woodhams noted that he understands why every operator wants to take a bite from the market share. However, he believed that there should be a calm among brands. Only then would it have made sense to have a premium operator.

Market Grows Larger

In the meantime, the Ontario private market continues to expand. A few months ago, iGaming Ontario released the numbers for Q2 of the 2024-25 fiscal year.

The report confirmed that in Q2 local bettors placed around CA$18.7 billion in bets. This was a 1.6% increase from the previous quarter and a 31.7% spike from Q2 of 2023-24.

Additionally, gaming revenue also saw an increase. For Q2 of 2024-25, proceeds hit CA$738 million. These numbers were a 1.7% increase from Q2 and a 35.4% jump from Q2 of the previous fiscal year.