As of late September 2026, Ontario has two regulated online poker rooms we could verify, GGPoker and PokerStars on FanDuel. GGPoker is the better choice right now for tournament volume and consistent cash-game action. PokerStars is back after a month offline and is still rebuilding its player pool. Neither publishes Ontario table counts or peak-hour traffic, so the honest answer on “how busy is it” is to open the lobby at your usual playing time and look.
How We Ranked These
We checked each room against four things. Is it tied to an AGCO-regulated operator contracted with iGaming Ontario? How much has the player pool been disrupted in 2026? What does it publish about table variety and withdrawals? And does it say anything verifiable about traffic? Operators that disclosed more ranked higher, and anything we couldn’t confirm is marked “not publicly disclosed” instead of estimated. I read regulator and trade coverage, the operators’ own announcements and our existing brand reviews. I did not have access to live lobby counts.
Our full scoring methodology is explained here. GGPoker ranks first because it stayed online through the whole 2026 disruption, while PokerStars lost about a month of activity and is working back from a smaller base.
1. GGPoker: The Busiest Room in a Small Market
GGPoker has been licensed and operating in Ontario’s regulated market since September 2022, according to Canadian Gaming Business. It is owned by NSUS Group, which also owns the World Series of Poker brand after buying it from Caesars Entertainment for US$500 million in 2024. That ownership matters less than what happened this spring. When PokerStars shut its Ontario platform on May 7, Poker Industry PRO reported that GGPoker extended its lead in the province. Pokerfuse separately reported a large surge in multi-table tournament activity in Ontario during a record-breaking series in mid-May.
So tournaments are where GGPoker looks strongest. For cash games, we can’t give you verified seat counts by stake. The operator doesn’t publish an Ontario-specific breakdown of Hold’em, Omaha or other variants, and we won’t guess. What we can say is that a fenced Ontario pool means you’re playing against other Ontarians only, so low-stakes tables fill more reliably in the evening than high-stakes ones. Expect thinner action on weekday afternoons and overnight.
GGPoker was also the first poker operator to get an Alberta licence, issued by AGLC on Aug. 12, 2026. It closed its Alberta offering when that province’s market launched on July 13 and still needs an operating agreement with the Alberta iGaming Corporation before it can relaunch. It has no standalone review page on our site yet. Withdrawal times are not publicly disclosed.
2. PokerStars on FanDuel: Big Name, Rebuilding Traffic
PokerStars’ old Ontario platform went offline on May 7, 2026. Canadian Gaming Business reported that the new product, PokerStars Exclusively on FanDuel, launched in Ontario on June 5 after several delays, the latest on June 3. It runs on Playtech’s poker technology rather than the legacy PokerStars software players knew. PokerStars was removed from iGaming Ontario’s list of contracted operators in May, and poker now runs as a product inside FanDuel’s registration. Our PokerStars Casino Ontario review and our updated verdict on the shutdown cover the account and licence details.
On the money side, FanDuel processes verified INTERAC withdrawals in 24 to 48 hours, which sits mid-market in Ontario. The minimum deposit listed on our review is $10. Poker Industry PRO described the room on June 24 as out of soft launch with “a mountain to climb,” which fits what you’d expect when a pool resets. Old regulars had a month to scatter to other rooms. Whether tables here fill at your stakes is something we can’t verify, so test it before you move your bankroll.
One structural limit applies to everyone. Under Ontario’s current rules, PokerStars players can’t compete with the Michigan, New Jersey or Pennsylvania players on the same software, since play must stay inside the province.
Why Is Ontario Online Poker Traffic So Small?
Ontario fences its poker players inside the province, so every table draws from Ontario residents only. Canadian Gaming Business reports poker makes up only about 1% of handle and revenue in the regulated market. Monthly poker revenue reached roughly $6.9 million this spring, near record levels per Casino.org and Canadian Gaming Business coverage of iGaming Ontario’s figures, but that is a rounding error next to a casino vertical earning more than $300 million in a month.
That could change. The Ontario Court of Appeal ruled in November 2025, in a 4-1 decision, that letting Ontario players compete with players outside Canada would be lawful under the Criminal Code. The Atlantic Lottery Corporation, BCLC, Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries and Loto-Québec appealed. The Supreme Court of Canada hearing is scheduled for Oct. 7, 2026, with Ontario, Alberta, Flutter, NSUS and the Canadian Gaming Association arguing for pooled play. A ruling won’t come that day, and no operator has promised a launch date for shared tables. Ontario and Alberta have also talked about linking their own pools, though no agreement is in place.
What About Soft Games and Other Operators?
Nobody publishes skill-mix data for Ontario poker, so any claim that one room is “softer” is opinion. The fenced pool does mean fewer international grinders, but it also means fewer players overall. The practical test is simple. Sit at the lowest stake you’d play for an hour at your usual time and see who’s there. Rake structures are shown in each lobby, so compare them before committing.
Other names show up in poker trade coverage. Pokerfuse reported that 888poker outlined Alberta plans ahead of launch. We couldn’t verify a live Ontario poker room for 888 Casino Ontario or other operators from an iGaming Ontario or AGCO source, so they aren’t ranked here. If your goal is card play without liquidity worries, live dealer blackjack and baccarat don’t depend on other players filling seats. Our guides to table game variants and live dealer lobbies cover that route. You can confirm any operator’s standing through our AGCO-licensed Ontario casinos page.
Self-Exclusion and Player Protection
Poker sessions run long, and tournaments can eat an evening, so set limits before you register. Ontario’s centralized BetGuard portal, which launched in May 2026, lets you exclude yourself from regulated online operators in one step. Our BetGuard walkthrough explains the process, and our overview of Canadian responsible gambling tools covers deposit limits and time-outs. Both operators here must offer those tools as a condition of AGCO registration. Stick to rooms listed by iGaming Ontario, because offshore poker sites offer no regulator to complain to. If you’re still comparing casinos beyond poker, start with our best online casinos in Canada guide.
Frequently asked questions
Is online poker legal in Ontario? Yes, at operators registered with the AGCO and contracted with iGaming Ontario. As of September 2026, the rooms we could verify are GGPoker and PokerStars on FanDuel.
Can Ontario players play poker against people in other countries? Not yet. Ontario fences poker play to players inside the province. The Supreme Court of Canada hears the pooled-liquidity appeal on Oct. 7, 2026.
Did PokerStars leave Ontario? The standalone platform closed on May 7, 2026. PokerStars returned on June 5 as PokerStars on FanDuel, using Playtech technology.
How fast are poker withdrawals in Ontario? FanDuel, which now runs PokerStars in Ontario, processes verified INTERAC withdrawals in 24 to 48 hours. GGPoker’s Ontario withdrawal times are not publicly disclosed.
Bottom Line
GGPoker is the safer bet for busy tournaments and steady cash-game action in Ontario today, and PokerStars on FanDuel is worth a low-stakes test while its pool rebuilds. Neither room publishes verified Ontario table counts or peak traffic, so judge them in the lobby at your own playing hours. Watch the Oct. 7 Supreme Court hearing, because shared liquidity is the one thing that could make Ontario poker substantially bigger.
Sources
- Canadian Gaming Business, “PokerStars relaunches in Ontario as part of FanDuel,” June 5, 2026
- Canadian Gaming Business, “PokerStars shutting down in Ontario on May 7 ahead of FanDuel move,” updated May 5, 2026
- Canadian Gaming Business, “GGPoker approved to offer online poker in Alberta iGaming market,” August 2026
- Canadian Gaming Business, “Ontario and Alberta to argue for cross-border iGaming play in Supreme Court hearing,” September 2026
- Casino.org, “Ontario’s Betting Landscape Shifts Tomorrow as FanDuel and PokerStars Debut Long-Awaited Unified Experience,” May 2026
- Poker Industry PRO headlines, May 15, 2026 and June 24, 2026, and Pokerfuse, May 15, 2026 and July 1, 2026
- iGaming Ontario, https://igamingontario.ca
- AGLC iGaming registrants, https://aglc.ca/gaming-registrants
