written and last updated by
Sam Smith at
16 Nov 2023
Journalist, Editorial Department
The information platform PlayCanada has conducted a comparative analysis of online gambling revenues across various provinces in Canada. The findings reveal that Ontario's regulated market generates three times more revenue than those of other provinces.
This analysis is based on annual reports from the regulatory bodies of Canadian provinces, including the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, Atlantic Lottery Corporation, British Columbia Lottery Corporation, and Loto-Québec. Each of these organizations oversees regulated gambling activities for residents in their respective regions. However, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation stands out with the most impressive results. Ontario launched its regulated online gambling market on April 4, 2022, and currently hosts 47 operators.
For the analysis, PlayCanada experts utilized revenue data from iGaming for the 2022-2023 fiscal year across the four Atlantic provinces, as well as British Columbia and Quebec. The goal was to assess per capita revenues in each region compared to Ontario and to determine whether other provinces could increase their iGaming revenues.
According to reports for the 2022-2023 fiscal year, Ontario's iGaming revenue reached CAD 1.96 billion (approximately RUB 127 billion). British Columbia ranked second with CAD 440 million (RUB 28.5 billion), followed closely by Quebec at CAD 403.9 million (around RUB 26 billion). The Atlantic provinces collectively earned CAD 100.1 million (RUB 6.5 billion).
The significant lead of Ontario can be attributed to its large population of 15.6 million residents, nearly double that of its closest competitor, Quebec, which has a population of 8.8 million.
During the 2022-2023 fiscal year, Ontario's per capita iGaming revenue exceeded CAD 125 (RUB 8,110). In British Columbia, this figure was less than CAD 81 (RUB 5,255), while Quebec's was around CAD 46 (RUB 2,984), and the Atlantic provinces averaged nearly CAD 39 (RUB 2,530).
One reason for the success of Ontario's iGaming market is that Canadians from other provinces are spending significant amounts on offshore gambling sites. Notably, half of the operators licensed in Ontario also provide services in other regions where their activities are not regulated. To address this issue, governments in other provinces need to establish legal iGaming markets similar to Ontario's.
Additionally, it is worth noting that Finnish gambling operator Veikkaus is set to undergo a major restructuring.
