AGCO Chair Dave Forestell to Step Down After Eight Years on the Board
The man who chaired iGaming Ontario at its inception and then the AGCO itself is moving on, and his successor has not yet been named.
Dave Forestell is preparing to conclude his tenure as Chair of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) Board of Directors, the regulator confirmed in a statement posted to its official LinkedIn page. Forestell was appointed AGCO Chair in July 2023 and has served on the Board since 2018, a run of more than eight years that covers a defining stretch in Ontario gaming regulation.
Why the AGCO Chair Dave Forestell Exit Matters Now
Ontario’s regulated iGaming market is one of the most closely watched in North America, and the AGCO sits at the centre of it. So a change at the top of the regulator’s Board is never just an HR note. It lands mid-modernisation. The AGCO itself describes Forestell’s chairmanship as covering “a period of significant modernization and increasing complexity” across its regulated sectors, and that complexity is not slowing down.
Dave Forestell’s Record Across the AGCO and iGaming Ontario
Few figures have touched more of Ontario’s regulatory architecture. Forestell joined the AGCO Board in 2018 and served as the inaugural Chair of iGaming Ontario, the AGCO subsidiary connected to the province’s regulated online gaming market. According to the AGCO’s official announcement in July 2023, he stepped down from the iGaming Ontario chairmanship at that point to take over leadership of the AGCO Board. Last year he was awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal in recognition of his contributions to Ontario through leadership in public policy and governance.
The regulator’s tribute was warm and direct. “His guidance helped shape the organization during a period of significant change and growth, and his influence will be felt for years to come,” the AGCO wrote. The editorial read: regulators rarely publish this kind of farewell for routine rotations. This one reads like the close of an era, because it is.
What the Leadership Change Signals for Ontario’s Regulated Gaming Market
For licensed operators and suppliers, the practical picture is stable. The AGCO’s direction is set institutionally, and its executive leadership continues regardless of Board composition. Still, the Chair shapes governance priorities, and two questions are now open. The AGCO has not named a successor, and it has not disclosed the new role Forestell is taking on, saying only that he is embarking on a next chapter. Worth noting honestly: this is a single-source announcement from the AGCO itself, and details on timing and succession are thin for now.
What Comes Next for the AGCO and Ontario’s iGaming Market?
The appointment that follows will say a great deal about where Ontario’s regulator is headed, particularly given the modernisation agenda the AGCO credits Forestell with steering. Operators should watch the succession announcement closely, because the next Chair inherits a regulator whose own description of the moment is one of growing complexity, and governance tone at the top tends to filter into regulatory priorities. Forestell leaves with the rare distinction of having chaired both iGaming Ontario at its inception and the AGCO that oversees the wider market. Whoever follows starts from the foundation he helped lay, and the industry will measure them against it.
