Ontario created not only headlines but also waves in the iGaming industry when the province announced in 2022 that it would launch its own regulated iGaming market that April.
iGaming itself consists of wagering online on poker, sports, and in online casinos, and the Ontario market now allows private operators to apply for a licence to operate in a space once the domain of state-sponsored iGaming companies. Ontario made this move to protect players from potentially unregulated overseas regulators and create a safe iGaming space for its citizens. Below is a look at some statistics in Ontario’s iGaming market, its growth, and factors driving it.
Boom times for the Ontario iGaming market
What’s certain is that the provincial government’s decision to launch an iGaming market isn’t one to regret. The demand for regulated online casinos in ON is huge, so review sites like Casino.ca are vital to point players in the right direction, while keeping providers honest. In 2024-25, the market generated the highest total gross gaming revenue from online gambling since the regulated space came into operation.
Throughout the year, Ontario’s iGaming market has been making headlines. Towards the end of 2025, players set records on wagering for the third consecutive month in October 2025, and in November 2025, both iGaming revenue and total wagers reached a new monthly high.
The October stats —released by Ontario iGaming, a subsidiary of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO)— show that online casino gaming is the most popular form of iGaming. Wagering on online casino gaming accounted for more than three-quarters of the total market share.
November 2025’s figures are especially impressive, given the fact that there had been exits recently from the 49 commercial operators and 84 websites on the market. One operator closed four sites, and another closed two different offerings.
Additional growth
The industry is not only enjoying growth in terms of wagers and revenue. The number of active player accounts increased in October 2025 and was nearly 300,000 more than in November 2024.
The good news continues, this time for the economy, which is seeing the benefit of growth in the industry. The competitive iGaming market created almost 15,000 extra jobs in its second year of operation, and the federal, provincial and municipal governments combined witnessed more than 1 billion Canadian dollars enter the coffers.
Other areas
Sports betting online was the next most popular iGaming activity, but this was far behind the popularity of the online casinos, which are the primary driver of growth in the market and have posted a recorded handle. In fact, 2025 was a tough year for online sportsbooks in Ontario, even considering that sportsbook revenues fluctuate because of the seasonal nature of sports, as well as the lack of drama at times. Operators experienced lower revenues in 2025 than in five of the corresponding months in 2024.
However, November 2025 still brought reasons to be cheerful. Sports betting non-adjusted gross gaming revenue (NAGGR) jumped to its highest level since the provincial regulated market opened in 2022. The sports betting handle also hit a record high in November 2025, passing the 1.2 billion Canadian dollar mark and surpassing November 2024’s sports betting handle.
Meanwhile, peer-to-peer (P2P) poker remains a relatively small proportion of the market in Ontario, despite poker’s general popularity in Canada. This proportion could increase, however, if a proposed cross-border poker gaming model comes into force in Ontario, which would allow players to play internationally, rather than keeping games local.
The growth drivers
Some might say the market was always on to a winner, given Canadians’ general love of gambling. Long before the market launched, there were already millions of active accounts in Canada, belonging to people determined to take advantage of a lack of legal clarity around iGaming and pursue their interest in the activity.
The opening-up of the market has made it more competitive, which has allowed the market to expand as private operators apply for licenses and enter the space. The well-regulated environment has helped to lure players away from the sites of overseas operators, which was part of the plan, and play in a safer environment where they’re more protected.
Then there’s the fact that there’s so much more variety. Some Canadians have complained that iGaming on state-sponsored sites is restrictive, whereas doing so on overseas operators’ sites provides players with more options. Ontario’s creation of its own regulated market offers them more variety and encourages them to continue playing in the local market, rather than tempting them to seek their iGaming on the sites of overseas operators.
The Ontario iGaming market is thriving in a big way. The market is generating big revenue for governments, meeting the demands of Ontarians for iGaming, and providing players in the province with a safe space to play, all at the same time. Very few involved in the approval, creation and regulation of the market are likely to be regretting the decision to create it.
