Some markets start strong but quickly fade. Ontario’s gambling market has been the opposite—a rocket that launched with a roar and continues to climb higher. Since regulation, the industry has proven a major win for the province’s economy, government coffers, and player safety. Its success is also creating ripple effects across Canada, where other provinces are beginning to consider similar frameworks. Online casino gaming and sports betting have clearly found fertile ground, and the opportunities seem boundless.
When Ontario opened its regulated market in April 2022, expectations were high. Canadians are natural gamblers, with about 60% regularly taking part in casino games or sports betting. The majority—43%—gamble modestly, spending between $1 and $20 a month, while around 3% fall into the high-stakes category, wagering more than $100 monthly.
Even before Ontario’s reforms, online casino gambling was well established in Canada. There were already 19 million active online accounts, and review platforms like Casino.ca had long been helping players choose sites that matched their style and budget. The launch of Ontario’s market, however, marked a turning point. The goal was to shift players from offshore platforms to licensed, regulated sites. Protecting customers was the primary motivation, though generating revenue for the province was also a powerful incentive.
The results have exceeded even the most optimistic forecasts. Between April 2024 and March 2025, Ontario’s gross gambling revenue (GGR) hit CA$3.20 billion, a 32% year-over-year increase. Total wagers reached CA$82.7 billion, up 31% from the previous year, with online casino gaming dominating as the most popular vertical. Crucially, nearly 84% of gamblers now play on regulated platforms—a remarkable achievement for regulators and a sign of strong public trust in the system.
Ontario managed to go from “zero to hero,” tackling the challenge of offshore gambling in one decisive move. Now, other provinces are watching closely, questioning whether their more cautious approaches were the right path.
Alberta stands out as a fascinating case study in shifting strategies. The province originally operated a controlled online gambling platform through Play Alberta. But last year, officials announced plans to open a regulated commercial market, following Ontario’s example. Alberta, however, faces a unique challenge: transitioning players from offshore sites to the new market without undermining Play Alberta’s existing customer base.
This requires a very different approach to messaging and advertising. Recent polling shows that many Albertans mistakenly believe the offshore sites they use are regulated. In fact, only 10% of players use Play Alberta exclusively, while fewer than 25% use it at all. Instead, three-quarters of Alberta’s online gamblers remain active on offshore platforms—many of which, in the eyes of players, have proven reliable.
Alberta has now completed the legal framework to launch its commercial market, though many operational details remain unsettled. The creation of the Alberta iGaming Corporation is a step forward, but operators want assurance that regulators will not also act as competitors. While the initiative was intended to cut red tape, implementation has ironically been bogged down in bureaucracy. Still, Dale McNally, author of the iGaming Alberta Act, has promised a launch in early 2026.
Both Ontario and Alberta continue refining their regulatory models as realities on the ground shift. Policymakers must balance online growth with the health of physical casinos. Interestingly, online expansion has not eroded land-based revenues. Many analysts credit the boom in online play to the COVID-19 lockdowns, but when in-person casinos reopened, their rebound did not come at the expense of digital gambling.
Today, however, physical venues face fresh headwinds from the United States. Trade tensions and tariffs have dampened American tourism—a critical driver for Canada’s land-based casinos—and created barriers to importing US-made slot machines and video lottery terminals. With supply chains squeezed, brick-and-mortar operators struggle to update their hardware.
The online market, by contrast, remains largely unaffected. The US dominates in physical gaming hubs like Las Vegas and Atlantic City but is less influential in online gambling. Canada also boasts a growing number of homegrown iGaming companies, ensuring steady access to new software, platforms, and game mechanics.
The bottom line: in Canada’s evolving gambling landscape, online casinos are emerging as the clear winners.
