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Four years ago, most Canadians who played casino games online did so on sites with no ties to any Canadian regulator at all. That’s changed faster than most people realize. Ontario’s regulated internet gaming market, launched in April 2022, has grown into one of the largest legal online gambling markets in North America — and the numbers behind that growth say a lot about how quickly consumer behaviour shifts once a legitimate, well-lit option shows up.
The Numbers Behind Ontario’s iGaming Market
In its annual fiscal 2024-25 report, iGaming Ontario put total wagers at $82.7 billion and gross gaming revenue at $2.9 billion, a jump of over 30 percent in both figures from the previous year. That’s the market’s third full year of operation, and the growth curve hasn’t flattened yet. Casino games, not sports betting, make up the bulk of it — about 84 percent of total wagers, according to the same report.
Maybe the more interesting figure is behavioural: a 2026 Ipsos study commissioned by iGaming Ontario and the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) found that 91.1 percent of Ontarians who gamble online now do so through regulated operators, leaving a shrinking minority still playing on unlicensed offshore sites. That’s the real story of Ontario’s experiment — it didn’t just create a new industry, it pulled an existing one out of the shadows. Operators such as LuckyCasino now run under full AGCO oversight, with licensing, identity verification, and responsible-gambling tools built into the product rather than bolted on as an afterthought.
Consumer Protections That Didn’t Exist Before
Every operator authorized to serve Ontario players has to register with the AGCO and sign a commercial agreement with iGaming Ontario, which manages the conduct-and-management side of the market. That structure means mandatory self-exclusion tools, deposit limits, age verification, and advertising standards that offshore sites were never required to offer. Starting January 2026, complaints about gambling ads are also reviewed under the Canadian Gaming Association Code for Responsible Gaming Advertising — a small but telling sign of how the regulatory net keeps tightening as the market matures.
A Broader Shift in Ontario’s Gambling Market
Ontario’s regulated online gambling market did not develop in isolation. The legalization of single-event sports betting in Canada and the launch of Ontario’s regulated iGaming framework helped reshape how online gambling is offered and monitored in the province. Casino gaming and sports betting now operate within a market where licensed operators face defined regulatory requirements and where regulators have access to far more information about participation and market activity than they did before the regulated framework was introduced.
For players, the most visible result has been greater choice among regulated platforms alongside clearer rules around identity verification, responsible-gambling measures, and advertising. For regulators, the framework provides a more structured way to oversee an online gambling market that previously operated largely outside provincial control.
Is online casino gambling legal in Ontario?
Yes. Since April 2022, operators can legally offer online casino games to Ontario residents provided they’re registered with the AGCO and under contract with iGaming Ontario.
How big is Ontario’s regulated iGaming market?
It generated $82.7 billion in total wagers and $2.9 billion in gross gaming revenue in fiscal 2024-25, per iGaming Ontario’s own reporting.
What’s the difference between a regulated and an unregulated casino site?
