ImplusQ Senior Content Writer Anna Müller recently shared her analysis on the rapid rise of the online gambling market in Ontario and discussed the widespread impact of the province's successful model on other provinces.
Since the launch of the regulated online gambling market in Ontario in April 2022, it has not experienced the high start and low go like some industries, but has continued to show strong growth momentum. This legislation has not only significantly increased provincial fiscal revenue but also improved consumer protection levels. Its success is attracting other provinces to actively promote similar reforms. It can be said that online casinos and sports betting have taken deep roots in Canadian soil, with continuous release of development potential, and inter-provincial competition and opportunities coexist.
Canada itself has a deep gambling culture, with about 60% of the population indicating that they have participated in gambling activities, of which 43% are low-risk players (monthly average 1-20 Canadian dollars), and 3% are high-risk groups (monthly average over 100 Canadian dollars). Even before the opening of regulation in Ontario, there were already 19 million active online accounts nationwide, and various gambling information platforms such as Casino.ca have been guiding players for many years.
The core of the Ontario model is to guide players from offshore gambling platforms to the regulated market, which not only protects consumer rights but also significantly increases tax revenue. From April 2024 to March 2025, the total gambling revenue (GGR) of the province reached 3.2 billion Canadian dollars, a year-on-year increase of 32%; the total betting amount rose to 82.7 billion Canadian dollars, an increase of 31%, among which online casino games contributed the main share. It is worth noting that about 84% of players choose to play on licensed sites, showing widespread trust in regulatory measures.
The success of Ontario has prompted other provinces to re-examine their own gambling policies. For example, Alberta initially offered online gambling through the official platform Play Alberta, but last year announced that it would build an open market using Ontario as a model. However, Alberta faces unique challenges: it needs to transfer players from offshore platforms to the new market, while avoiding impacts on existing official businesses. Surveys show that currently, most players in the province mistakenly believe that offshore sites are regulated, with only about 10% of users using Play Alberta exclusively.
Alberta has completed the legislative process for commercial online gambling and established a dedicated agency to promote implementation, aiming to start operations in early 2026. However, how to balance regulation and competition and achieve a smooth transition still needs further refinement.
The cases of Ontario and Alberta show that provincial gambling policies need to be continuously adjusted to cope with the complex relationship between physical and online. The pandemic has been an important driver for the explosive growth of online gambling, but the recovery of physical casinos has not led to a decline in online activities. The current new challenge comes from tense trade relations with the United States—many Canadian physical casinos rely on American tourists and gambling equipment supplies, and trade barriers and tariff policies have put pressure on their operations. In contrast, online gambling is less affected by hardware import restrictions, and the supply of Canadian domestic and global software is unobstructed, showing stronger risk resistance.
In summary, online gambling is gradually becoming the mainstream development direction of the Canadian gambling market. In the context of continuously liberalizing policies and increasing consumer demand, the win-win model of regulation and market established by Ontario is likely to continue to have a profound impact nationwide.
