Ontario iGaming Sector Records Growth in Third Year

The regulated iGaming market in the Canadian province of Ontario has recorded a steady increase in gaming revenue of 32% in its third year of operation. 

The figures released this week by the organization overseeing the market, iGaming Ontario, showed that between April 2024 and March 2025, the sector generated CA$82.7 billion in gambling wagers, representing a 31% increase from the previous year. Gross gaming revenue, meanwhile, was recorded at CA$3.2 billion for the year. 

A growing regulated market 

According to iGaming Ontario, the figures show the success of the regulated market, which was launched in April 2022 and was the first of its kind in Canada. 

“These results show Ontario is home to a truly dynamic igaming market with a strong roster of operators, and a world-class list of games available for players,” said the Chair of the Board of Directors at iGaming Ontario, Heidi Reinhart. 

There are currently 49 gaming operators in the province, providing 84 online gambling sites. Ontario online casinos contributed the most significant proportion of revenue, at CA$2.4 billion, for Ontario’s first quarter of 2025, while Ontario sports betting generated revenue of CA$747 million for the year. Poker revenue remained unchanged from the previous year’s figure, however, at CA$66 million. 

Ontario leads by example

The apparent success of the Ontario market has led other provinces in Canada to seek to emulate their gambling market, most notably in Alberta. The Western Canadian province is continuing to move closer to establishing a legal, regulated iGaming industry.

Legislation, known as the iGaming Alberta Act, has been tabled in the province that would create a new gambling market. The market would be overseen by a new agency, the Alberta iGaming Corporation, which would mirror the role of iGaming Ontario. 

Currently, the only legal gambling website in the province is Play Alberta, which is run by the Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission. However, players in Alberta also have access to overseas sites that operate in a legal grey area. The goal of the new iGaming Act is to bring that gambling activity into a regulated structure, thereby retaining gambling revenue and taxation within the province, making legal Alberta sports betting and Alberta online casinos a reality.

Opponents of the bill have raised concerns about whether legalization would lead to an increase in gambling addiction. Still, proponents of the bill have emphasized that the Alberta iGaming Corporation would play a significant role in player protection under the new rules. 

The Alberta Bill has passed its second reading but will now face further debate, most notably on licensing fees and taxation, and rules on player protection.