Section 1: Executive Summary

The AGCO is Ontario’s regulator for the alcohol, cannabis, horse racing, and lottery and gaming sectors, including the recently expanded provincial internet gaming (igaming) market.

The AGCO strives to be at the forefront of modern industry regulation, while maintaining high regulatory standards and our steadfast commitment to protect the public interest for the sectors that we regulate.

The AGCO is required under the Agencies and Appointments Directive to annually provide a multi-year Business Plan to the Attorney General. This Business Plan sets out AGCO’s core strategy for the next three fiscal years, including key initiatives for the upcoming year that will be undertaken in support of this strategy.

The AGCO’s Strategic Plan sets out the following strategic goals: Modern Regulator, Service Excellence, and People First. These three goals support the achievement of the AGCO’s mandate and key government objectives for enhanced accountability and efficiency in delivering public services; evidence-based decision making and policy development, reducing administrative burden on businesses; and increasing consumer choice.

As the AGCO enters the fourth year of its five-year Strategic Plan, the organization remains focused on its strategic goals in order to meet our regulatory mandate within Ontario’s alcohol, cannabis, horse racing and lottery and gaming sectors.

For 2023-24, the AGCO’s annual Corporate Plan will:

• Continue to support our regulated businesses through regulatory modernization, with a focus on the land-based gaming sector;
• Work towards implementing the remaining recommendations from the Office of the Auditor General’s 2020 Value for Money Audit of the AGCO which focus on fees and program sustainability;
• Support the government’s efforts to provide more convenience and choice to consumers with respect to alcohol sales; and,
• Continue to build a robust open market for cannabis retail sales.

2023-24 will also see the AGCO advance its work related to diversity and inclusion, digital delivery, cannabis retailing and supporting a safer, competitive, and well-regulated igaming market for the people of Ontario, which launched on April 4, 2022.

The AGCO will continue to apply its risk-based, outcomes-based, and compliance-focused approach to regulation. This provides greater flexibility for regulated entities in terms of how they achieve regulatory compliance and enables the AGCO to more effectively manage risks while prioritizing resources to ensure its approach to regulation is fair and responsive to sector needs while protecting the public interest.