OLG and Woodbine Partner to Launch Provincewide Online Horse Race Betting in Ontario

Horse race fans in Ontario can now place legal pari-mutuel bets online thanks to a new deal between Woodbine Entertainment and the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG). The partnership makes OLG the first provincial lottery and gaming agency in Canada to offer a digital horse race betting product.

Good to know

• Ontario bettors can now wager on live races via OLG.ca and the OLG app.
• Launch coincides with the 166th King’s Plate, a $1M Canadian Triple Crown race.
• Woodbine is Ontario’s only licensed horse race betting operator.

The agreement allows bettors to use a plug-and-play connection to access Woodbine’s HPIBet-powered products directly through OLG platforms. Wagers are placed into shared pari-mutuel pools compliant with Canadian law, meaning Ontario players can bet on races from across the globe.

Dave Pridmore, OLG’s chief gaming officer, said:

“We are excited to offer access to this experience to our online players, providing another way for them to engage in the thrilling sport of horse racing. This collaboration represents an important step in our mandate of supporting the sport and a vibrant, competitive, and sustainable horse racing industry in Ontario.”

Launch Timed for the King’s Plate

The rollout comes just ahead of the 166th running of the King’s Plate on Saturday. The historic $1 million event is Canada’s oldest horse race and the first leg of the Canadian Triple Crown, followed by the Prince of Wales Stakes and Breeders’ Stakes.

Michael Copeland, CEO of Woodbine Entertainment, called the launch “another step forward for the growth of horse racing in Ontario,” adding:

“It’s another step forward for the growth of horse racing in Ontario, and we’re grateful to OLG for their continued support and willingness to collaborate and innovate alongside us.”

This marks Woodbine’s second major online betting partnership. Since 2023, it has provided pari-mutuel wagering services to bet365, integrating horse race betting into the sportsbook’s Ontario platform.

While OLG currently offers the only legal horse race betting in the province, the new system could be adopted by other gaming operators in the future — potentially expanding the reach of online pari-mutuel wagering across Ontario.