Ontario iGaming at Record Highs: Expert Elsa Fiott on Growth, Regulation, and What Players Need to Know
Ontario’s iGaming landscape is entering a new phase. As the market expands and matures, regulatory oversight is becoming ever more robust. Since it opened up to private operators back in 2022, the provincial market has gone from strength to strength. As its roster of licensed platforms continues steadily to grow, player engagement rises too. It’s no wonder then that Ontario’s regulatory model is one that other jurisdictions are now paying close attention to.
The province’s iGaming market is now one of the largest online gambling ecosystems in North America. With competition between operators closer than ever, players face a staggering choice of platforms, games, and bonuses. To find out how this market has reached its record high, and what’s coming next, CasinoCenter spoke to one of the industry’s leading experts.
Elsa Fiott is a Content Editor in Casino.org’s Canada team. The platform has cemented itself as the world’s top guide for players who want to gamble online with confidence. Elsa and her team have researched and reviewed the best online casino options in Ontario, so that readers can easily choose safe, secure, and fair sites. As a specialist in the Ontario market, she was first able to clarify the latest figures from regulator iGO.
In May, total cash wagers for the province came in at C$9.478 billion. That figure marked a 2% increase on the previous month, and is amongst the highest that Ontario has recorded since market launch. Its all-time record came in March, when the market brought in C$9.592 billion.
Looking at revenue, May saw the province total C$413.1 million in non-adjusted gross gaming revenue. That’s the second-highest monthly sum recorded and is not far behind the C$425.6 million record set in December 2025. Casino wagers for the month were valued at C$8.37 billion.
“As you would expect, casino wagers make up the majority of Ontario’s iGaming business. Breaking down the figures, online casino products were responsible for 88% of the market share. In comparison, sports betting is lagging far behind, at just 10% of the handle.”
Sports betting fared less well in May, coming in at C$972 million. That marked a 7% reduction on April’s takings. In fact, the total for the month was the same as that recorded a year before, in May 2025. Elsa explained why those results might not be as bad as they seem for Ontario’s iGaming market.
“Sports betting in any jurisdiction is always going to fluctuate a lot, more so than predictable niches like casino. Betting is wholly dependent on the sporting calendar. Some months there are lulls, and some months are jam-packed with events. When things are quiet, fans tend to lie low and save their cash for upcoming tournaments. We don’t have the figures in just yet, but I’m sure will see a good example of this happening with the World Cup. If I had to wager, I’d say July will be a bumper month.”
Not only is iGaming in Ontario at a record high. Four years on since the province opened up the market to private operators, recent figures show that residents are overwhelmingly choosing to play at legal sites. An IPSOS channelization study, commissioned by AGCO and iGO, which oversee the market together, found that 91.1% of Ontario players are using legal sites.
That figure marks a significant increase of 7.4% on last year’s findings. Further to that, the number of respondents who said they gambled solely on unregulated sites fell to 8.9%. Last year the figure stood at 16.3%.
“Before the market as we know it now launched in April 2022, it was estimated that 70% of online gambling in the province happened at unregulated sites. It’s great to see that progress has been made, but what’s even better to see is that those gains are continuing every year.”
The latest IPSOS study offers further proof, if proof were needed, that Ontario is doing something right. Other provinces have been quietly watching the show from the sidelines for the last few years, to see how things would pan out. Now we are really seeing them sit up and take notice. Alberta has been the first to take the plunge, and the next five years will likely see other provinces follow suit.
Alberta launched its open iGaming market to players on July 13th. It has adopted a model close to Ontario’s, albeit with some tweaks. Crucially, PlayAlberta will continue operating as the province’s government‑run platform, creating a hybrid system where the regulator oversees competitors while still running its own site.
At the time of writing, 36 international operators have registered with Alberta Gaming, Liquor, & Cannabis and signed commercial agreements with the Alberta iGaming Corporation. 22 platforms have gone live to players so far. Alberta has positioned itself as Canada’s next major regulated market, blending competition, consumer protection, and a uniquely Western Canadian approach to oversight.
Time will tell whether Alberta will enjoy the same successes as Ontario. However, all signs point to yes. While the local government will benefit from valuable tax revenue that will boost the coffers for public programs and services, players will enjoy a greater choice of betting and gaming sites with enhanced consumer protections.
“Looking to the future, there’s a good chance that Canada’s iGaming markets will open up further. I’m talking about provinces like BC and Québec, that have large populations and high demand for iGaming products. The Ontario model would be harder to adjust for the smaller, more rural provinces, but not impossible.”
Canada’s iGaming landscape is already complex for players to navigate. Regulations vary from province to province, making it confusing for players to know what’s legal and what’s not. Now that landscape is changing further, albeit for the better. Affiliate platforms are more important than ever in helping players to bridge that knowledge gap and find online gaming platforms that are safe, secure, and fun.
“As part of the Canada team at Casino.org, I’ve seen firsthand just how much demand there is for what we’re doing. It’s great to be able to help compete with the house. Over the last few years, the role of sites like ours has really broadened in response to what players are looking for. It’s about more than just new slots and bonuses now. We’re offering the expertise that helps players to feel happy and secure when they gamble online.”
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