Ontario generates CAD$1.4bn in iGaming revenue in first year

Ontario’s licensed online betting and gaming operators collected CAD$35.6 billion in total wagers in the first year since the opening of the regulated market, generating $1.4 billion in gaming revenue.

Ontario was the first Canadian province to launch a competitive iGaming market on 4 April 2022, with licensing authority iGaming Ontario revealing that more than 1.6 million active player accounts were created during the year on websites run by 45 operators. More than 5,000 games have been certified for use in the province.

“Today’s numbers demonstrate that Ontario has one of the best online gaming markets in the world,” said Ontario iGaming board chair Dave Forestell. “Since Ontario opened the market we have seen new investment, job creation, and captured revenue that used to leave the province. Ontario is well on its way to becoming the best gaming jurisdiction in the world.”

Over the year, the most popular sport for betting was basketball at 28 per cent of wagers, followed by soccer at 15 per cent, American football at 14 per cent, ice hockey at 9 per cent and baseball at 8 per cent.

Within the online casino sector, nearly half (48 per cent) of all casino wagers were on slots, with 32 per cent derived from table games with a live dealer, and the remainder (19 per cent) on computer-based table games. Total average monthly spend per active player account was $70.

“Ontario’s iGaming market has displaced the pre-existing unregulated market and made Ontario a recognized leader internationally in this industry since its launch in April 2022,” said Ontario Attorney General Doug Downey. “We are truly proud of this strong, responsible, competitive online gaming model.”

According to an Ipsos survey conducted in March and released by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), 85.3 per cent of respondents who gambled online in Ontario over the past three months gambled on regulated sites.

This compared to the estimated 70 per cent of online gambling that occurred on unregulated sites before the launch of the market.

“Every player who places a wager with a legal operator is doing so in a safe, regulated, and protected environment,” said Ontario iGaming executive director Martha Otton. “I want to thank the players, our 40+ operators and our government partners for placing their trust in us. Together we can help this market continue its strong performance.”

AGCO registrar Tom Mungham commented: “A key objective in this first year has been to move Ontario players from playing on unregulated sites to the regulated market, so that they would benefit from high standards of operator and game integrity, fairness and player protections including responsible gambling safeguards.

“Although there’s still much work to be done, we’re pleased to see such a substantial shift towards gaming on regulated sites so far, and everything that it represents for players and for the province.”

The results exclude figures from provincial lottery operator Ontario Lottery and Gaming (OLG).