February Online Gambling Revenue Hits $280 Million In Ontario

Introduction

There’s no denying the fact that gambling is a truly global phenomenon. It’s also one that increases in popularity year on year. According to gambling industry figures in 2022 the global market was worth $249 billion and by 2029 its size is due to more than triple to $754.78 billion. This isn’t simply due to gamblers spending more per capita on the activity, rather it is because more and more countries are becoming increasingly liberal in their approach to gambling. Much of this has been driven by in inexorable rise of online gambling, whether in casinos, on sports or even on lotteries.

The cross-border nature of the internet means that it is all but impossible to prevent players from accessing online casinos and sportsbooks, particularly if using VPNs. Canada is a good case in point. Faced with the arrival of many overseas-based operators the decision was made to allow individual provinces to issue licences. Ontario has led the way in this.

The rules of engagement in Ontario

The province’s trailblazing approach is one that others are watching very closely. It has involves creating a state-supported body called iGaming Ontario to oversee all gaming activity. Whereas previously all gambling operations were under the auspices of the government now operators are offered a unique way to access what is undoubtedly a very lucrative market. Licences can be bought which are issued by iGaming Ontario and what follows is a collaborative enterprise.

By taking out a licence, operators agree to follow a strict code of practice which include both province-level and national rules and regulations. A great emphasis is also placed on player verification ensuring that no-one under the age of 19 has access to online gambling. In this, the province leads the way even over some of the biggest and longest-established markets including the UK.

To operate legally, a comprehensive age and identity verification process is in place. This means that only after receiving proof including official documents and other identity confirmations will a player be allowed to gamble online. In other countries all that is generally required are the details of a player’s name, age and date of birth.

How are Ontarians gambling?

The three main areas in which Ontarian gamblers choose to spend their money are in online casinos, on sports betting and on the several lotteries that are available. Of these, by far the fastest growing in terms of revenue are the online casinos. With more and more operators appearing on the scene, players are spoilt for choice. This has also given rise to a number of review sites where they can compare Canadian online casinos as well as seeing what welcome bonuses each one offers in order to attract new players.

The appeal of the online casino is easy to see. It gives the opportunity to play favourite games like roulette, black and slots wherever there’s an internet connection. The “live” casino feature offered by many also effectively recreates the excitement of the real casino experience. Poker is also a reasonably popular game online.

Online casinos also give players the chance to try out games like baccarat that they may never have experienced before or old favourites like the classic game of bingo. Sports betting is growing in importance too but, as the figures below will show, it still has a long way to go before it catches up with online casinos. The lotteries also go from strength to strength.

The February figures in detail

To get an idea of just how successful the gambling sector is being at the moment, February 2025 figures give a good indication. In terms of total revenue, the headline total was $280 million. This represented an annual increase of 19.2% over the same month in 2024. Of this, online casino revenue was $214 million, 76% of the total amount and a 30.5% increase over previous year’s amount.

Meanwhile sports betting revenue hit $62 million, an increase of 47.6% on the 2024 figure. The remaining $4 million came from other sources including lotteries and land-based casino betting.

Casino v Sports

With sports betting only accounting for around 27% of the total revenue the question for operators must be why the gulf between it and casino betting is so wide. The answer is probably simply because the appeal of playing a slots game, roulette or blackjack offers immediate gratification for winners with no waiting around for the outcome to be decided. Additionally, many people like to put their fortune into their own hands rather than relying on a team or player to deliver for them.

That said, it’s likely that sports betting may may more inroads in the future – and the Ontario gambling scene in general is on track for a sustained period of growth and success.

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Posted by kmorr906