Gambling in its various forms is huge in Canada. According to several sources, there are over 19 million active players in the country, enjoying online poker, casino, and, of course, sports betting. The projected iGaming revenue for 2025 is over CAD 5.5 million, representing significant year-on-year growth.
What’s more, this trend is expected to continue over the next few years, as Canada’s online gambling sector continues to evolve and adjust to new realities.
In the grand scheme of things, poker may not be the biggest revenue driver, but it continues to play an important role, right after sports betting and online casinos. In this article, we look back at the recent history of gaming in Canada and what to expect moving forward.
Recognizing the Economic Potential
Online gambling in Canada started back in the 1990s, right as the first gaming sites began to appear. While they were not elaborate or sophisticated compared to today’s platform, they provided something land-based venues couldn’t compete with: extreme convenience. For the first time in history, players could enjoy their favorite games without leaving the comfort of their homes.
Of course, during these early days, there were no regulations in place. Canadians played at various offshore sites, and the whole thing stayed under the radar for a while.
Eventually, the government caught up with the trend, and it was in the 2000s that several Canadian provinces started to introduce online gambling regulation, creating locally-licensed casinos where players could enjoy greater protection and the country could benefit from a massive gaming revenue.
Today, some 20 years later, the situation in most of the country remains a mixed bag of players playing at state-regulated sites and offshore operators that stand out with better bonuses, more generous promotions, and bigger gaming portfolios. Casino.org compares the top online casinos in Canada, providing an excellent overview of top operators.
Ontario Opens Up to the World
While a majority of Canadian provinces continue to stick to their guns, with state-licensed casinos competing against offshore operators, one province decided to take a different route. In 2022, Ontario changed its gaming laws, creating an open market that allowed international operators to apply for a local license.
The province established iGaming Ontario, a branch of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), to deal with issuing licenses and overseeing approved operators. By doing this, Ontario created a much more competitive environment, while securing their players get the highest level of protection and a better experience offered by some of the industry leaders.
Unfortunately for poker players, especially for those who enjoy poker tournaments, the province still remains a segregated market, which means that players can only access the licensed sites while physically present in the province. This could change, however, as there are initiatives to open Ontario to the world, which would make it possible for Ontarians to play with people outside of Canada.
What’s Next for Canada Gaming?
It is no secret that things can move slowly when it comes to gambling regulation, often leaving players in an awkward position where they have to choose between lower quality and higher risk. In Canada, however, iGaming seems to be headed in the right direction.
This is largely due to Ontario, which decided to lead by example. Its open market model has proven hugely successful, with over one million active player accounts.
Other Canadian provinces have started to look into this model, and the likes of Alberta could soon introduce a similar framework for international bookmakers, casinos, and poker sites. Others will likely follow in their footsteps.
One thing that remains really significant right now is whether Ontario operators are allowed to open up to the rest of the world. If this were to happen, we’d likely see a significant spike in the online gambling activity in the province, with poker in particular reaping the biggest benefits.
This shift would mean much bigger player pools, leading to more cash game traffic, larger tournament guarantees, and more generous promotions across all licensed sites.
