Martha Otton has agreed to postpone her retirement and stay on as chief executive of iGaming Ontario through March 31, as that organization continues the search for her successor.
Otton announced her retirement in August, effective the end of the 2024 calendar year, and the iGaming Ontario board then engaged a recruitment firm to find her successor.
Said iGaming Ontario (iGO) in a statement, “Martha’s continuation in this role will ensure the agency’s steady leadership of Ontario’s competitive igaming market.”
Otton was appointed to lead iGO in February 2021. Before joining iGO she was the chief strategy officer at the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), played a key role in the AGCO’s expanded mandate over horse racing and cannabis.
iGaming Ontario works with AGCO and the provincial government to regulate the igaming industry, protect consumers in areas like responsible gambling, and provide more digital gaming choices.
Operators must apply for an igaming operator registration from the AGCO and then enter into an operating agreement with iGO before opening their doors in the province. There are 50 licensed operators in Ontario and 82 gaming websites. There are currently 24 pending operator applications for registration with the AGCO, according to a spokesperson there.
It was announced in November that the status of iGO was being changed; it will no longer be a subsidiary of AGCO and the new iGaming Ontario Act to be proclaimed in 2025 will make iGO an independent board-governed agency.
