The regulator of online sports betting in Ontario may soon be dropping the Mr. Nice Guy act toward operators lacking provincial licenses.

That is because, after months of working to migrate companies offering online sports betting sites to Ontarians without provincial approval into a regulated market, the province’s “transition period” for internet-gambling operators is now over.

Operators that don’t have all of those necessary provincial approvals and that are accepting bets from Ontarians may quickly find themselves out of favour with the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) if they continue.

The AGCO set an October 31 deadline for operators and suppliers that were active in the unregulated market in Ontario to cease those activities if they wanted to protect their chances of joining the province’s regulated market.