Published on: August 28, 2025, 09:59h.
Updated on: August 28, 2025, 09:59h.
The board of iGaming Ontario has officially named a new President and CEO, appointing an individual they believe possesses the ideal combination of experience in both the public and private sectors during a vital period for market expansion in Ontario.
Former AGCO Chief Strategy Officer
Joseph Hillier has been appointed to the role, effective September 8, 2025, according to an official announcement from iGaming Ontario this morning.
Before this appointment, Hillier served as the Chief Strategy Officer and Corporate Secretary at the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), the regulator overseeing the province’s igaming activities.
iGaming Ontario operates under the Minister of Tourism, Culture, and Gaming, collaborating closely with AGCO to oversee the regulated igaming landscape in the province.
Diverse Sector Experience
iGaming Ontario indicated that during his tenure at AGCO, Hillier “implemented crucial strategic and regulatory measures across the alcohol, cannabis, gaming, and horse racing sectors in the province.”
Prior to his role at AGCO, Hillier served as Chief of Staff to Attorney General Doug Downey, where he played a key role in developing and launching Ontario’s private sector-driven igaming market, which started in April 2022, leading to the inception of iGaming Ontario.
Additionally, Hillier has a decade of experience in the financial and legal services industries.
“The Board of Directors is eager to support Joseph in steering iGaming Ontario to enhance the success of Ontario’s igaming market while executing essential priorities like the establishment of an anti-money laundering framework for operators and a centralized self-exclusion platform for Ontarians.”
Self-Exclusion Initiative
Hillier succeeds Martha Otton, who stepped down from her role as Executive Director in August 2024. After a leadership search initiated in November 2024, iGaming Ontario confirmed in December that Otton would remain in her position until March 31, 2025.
A senior industry leader commented to Casino.org that iGaming Ontario is just 3.5 years old, and there’s been a a significant number of lessons learned that haven’t been applied yet.
“Automation is lacking. All AML reporting is done manually. There is no centralized self-exclusion system established. They’ve contracted with Integrity Compliance 360 and IXUP, but these improvements should have been prioritized in the first year. While iGO faced challenges initially, we’re approaching Year 4, and decisions are still pending,” the industry leader conveyed to Casino.org.
50 Licensed Operators in Ontario
David Smith had been acting as Interim President and CEO since Otton’s departure, and as noted, he understandably refrained from making decisions that would bind the incoming President and CEO.
“That decision was prudent,” he stated. “However, we have an asset that generates half a billion dollars annually for the Ontario government, yet it lacked leadership.”
Currently, the Ontario igaming market has 50 licensed operators functioning within its regulated framework.
As noted by the industry source, iGO functions not as a gaming firm but rather as a public-private partnership, managing contracts.
Urgent Need for AML Automation
“The leadership at iGO must recognize the significance of the 50 operators as vital to business success and should adopt policies that facilitate their partners in generating revenue,” he stressed. “This involves exploring ways to initiate automation and reduce costs so that registered operators can compete with the illegal and unregulated market.”
The source further mentioned that we can anticipate new participants entering Ontario’s legal igaming market.
“I believe other operators will view Ontario as an opportunity for expansion across the country as regions like Alberta develop their regulatory frameworks,” the industry insider commented. “Ontario remains an attractive business destination with a reasonable regulatory climate. The regulator here is outstanding.”
“We need to navigate the addition of too many costs for operators carefully; otherwise, we might witness a market correction. The online gaming sector continues to grow … operators are targeting niche markets.”
Yesterday, iGaming Ontario released financial data for the regulated igaming market in July, indicating a four percent increase in total wagers month-over-month (CAD $7.56 billion in July).