When it comes to regulated gambling markets, Ontario could be regarded as the latest poster child. Other jurisdictions have been watching closely to try to emulate the province’s success and also learn from any mistakes it might have made. We sat down with Elsa Fiott from review site Casino.org Canada to learn what other regulated markets can learn.
Lycnconf.com
Hi Elsa, thanks for taking the time to come and talk to us. Can you fill us in on your online gambling expertise and the Canadian market in particular?
Elsa Fiott
Sure, I have six years of writing and research experience and am part of Casino.org’s Canada review team. As well as testing and reviewing casinos in Ontario, I keep tabs on the wider North American markets, so that I can give players reliable insights on casino payments, game fairness, and security. Covering markets aside from Ontario means that I have a good overview and can see what has gone well and analyse why Ontario’s system is seen as such a role model. Any sites that we recommend at online casinos in Ontario have been tested by experts, and the province has some excellent sites and protocols.
Lyncconf.com
We called it a poster child and you a role model, so just how successful has the Ontario commercial market been?
Elsa Fiott
Every province in Canada regulates their own gambling market, and Ontario is the only one that decided to have a legal, regulated commercial market. Other provinces allow online casino gambling through government-run portals and sites. Gambling is incredibly popular in Canada, and players are always looking for the best offers, games and chances of winning. The commercial market has consistently provided more exciting opportunities than the provincially approved ones.
According to the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario and iGaming Ontario, players in the province prefer to play on regulated sites over unregulated competitors. The most recent data shows that 83.7% are choosing to play on licensed, regulated sites. Before the market launched, it was estimated that 70% of online gambling was taking place on unregulated and offshore sites.
The advantage of having your residents playing on regulated sites is that they are afforded the maximum protection both in terms of security and avoiding potential gambling harms. While all Canadians have access to regulated sites in some form or another, only Ontario has persuaded the majority of players to ‘play it safe’ in this respect.
The situation varies widely across Canada. Alberta is moving towards opening its own version of a commercial market, as its current approach has not been terribly successful. Its regulated platform, Play Alberta, has never managed to attract more than 30% of the province’s online gamers and 70% play on unregulated sites. British Columbia and Quebec have slightly better figures (49% and 44% respectively), but are still failing to bring over half of their province’s players to The British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC) and Loto-Québec’s sites.
So, just in terms of attracting players, Ontario has found the way to bring people in from the grey market, and that is beneficial to both players and the province’s coffers. Regulators collect license fees and taxes from gambling operators. If half your province’s gambling revenue is flowing offshore, that is not effective revenue collection!
In raw numbers, the market has seen incredible growth from a standing start in April 2022. Over $63 billion has been wagered, resulting in over $2billion in revenue for the platforms in the 2023 – 2024 period. According to Gaming News Canada, gross revenue from online gambling surpassed $4 billion in 2025 —34% up from the year before.
Lyncconf.com
What are the key things that stand out that emerging, regulated iGaming markets might want to emulate?
Elsa Fiott
One of the reasons why some jurisdictions are reluctant to legalize gambling is that there are concerns about keeping residents safe. Quebec, for example, has recently ruled out legalization, but Alberta has realized that if people are going to gamble, it is better that they do so safely. Many argue that prohibiting certain aspects just pushes it underground or offshore – and that puts residents at risk.
One of Ontario’s core focuses has been protecting players, and operators are compelled to adopt very high responsible gambling practices and limits around advertising and exposing young people to gambling. While some jurisdictions allow gambling from 18, Ontario require players to be at least 21.
iGaming Ontario (iGO) is also very hot on safety and compliance and has a robust system for monitoring and dispute resolution to deliver a secure, fair and transparent experience for players. Delivering safe and fun iGaming is what makes for a successful market for both players and platforms. While iGaming has the potential to be incredibly profitable, there has to be a large enough market to keep a good level of competition. Operators have been pulling out of the US market because it has become increasingly fragmented, and the regulation has been onerous.
Ontario has managed to provide a robust system, but it has left the operators enough flexibility to make it commercially viable.
Lyncconf.com
Is there anything that could be learned from the Ontario launch?
Elsa Flott
It is interesting to see that Alberta has taken a ‘slowly, slowly’ approach and been involved in lengthy consultations, meaning its commercial launch day has been put back more than once. Alberta also has the added complication of trying to bring players in from the gray market, without driving players away from Play Alberta and cannibalizing a profitable revenue source.
The lesson from Ontario that could be learned is to regulate everything, everywhere, all at the same time, rather than going for a piecemeal approach. They chose to go big and have brought home the proverbial jackpot with a successful and well-organized market that everyone is talking about. Great regulation has helped prevent player burnout while minimizing gambling harms.
Lycnconf.com
Thanks, Elsa, lots of food for thought there, it will be interesting to see what happens next across Canada and in emerging markets.
