Chavdar Vasilev is a gambling news writer with several years of experience in the iGaming industry. He started creating promotional content but soon found he loved reporting on the industry itself. Since then, he’s delivered...
Read Full BioThe Ontario online betting and iGaming market generated CA$313.5 million ($228.4 million) in non-adjusted gross gaming revenue in April, representing 25.3% growth from April 2024.
The data indicates that April is the second-best month on record in the Canadian province, behind January 2025.
The latest report by iGaming Ontario reveals that the total wagers for the month amounted to CA$7.8 billion ($5.7 million), representing a 2% decline from March.
Despite that, revenue grew by 6% month-over-month, supported by a 3% increase in active player accounts and average revenue per account.
Breaking down the sector performance, online casinos generated CA$242.8 million ($176.9 million), representing a 1% month-over-month increase.
Meanwhile, sports betting revenue experienced a significant 35% increase compared to the previous month, reaching CA$64.5 million ($46.9 million). Online poker revenue declined 11% month-over-month to CA$5.9 million ($4.3 million).
The market share distribution was 78% for online casinos, 21% for sports betting, and 1% for online poker.
Stronger Annual Growth Driven by Ontario iGaming
The data from iGaming Ontario also reveals that online casinos performed significantly better than sports betting when compared to April last year. However, the opposite was true on a month-to-month basis.
Regarding revenue, the yearly growth for the entire online gambling market was primarily due to iGaming. The sector saw a 35.4% revenue increase from April 2024. At the same time, sports betting revenue declined by 0.92% year-over-year. Although a small fraction of the total, online poker revenue experienced 3.5% year-over-year growth.
Market share data shows a similar picture. For total wagers placed, online casinos held an 84% market share (up from 83% in April 2024), while sports betting accounted for a 14% share, down one percentage point.
Moreover, the market share by revenue saw an even bigger discrepancy between the two. Online casinos generated 78% of the total revenue, representing a 6% increase year-over-year. In contrast, the sports betting share decreased by 5%, from 26% to 21%.
The sports betting hold percentage varies depending on whether the results are considered favorable for operators or punters, thus explaining deviations in revenue and large percentage change swings from month to month.
While iGaming drove the annual growth, sports betting performed better compared to March. The sector delivered a 35% increase in revenue, compared to a 1% growth in the iGaming segment.
The strong growth allowed sports betting to increase its revenue market share from 16% in March to 21% in April.
One possible reason for the strong monthly comps could be the start of the NHL playoffs, where five of the seven Canadian teams participated.
Ontario’s System Sparks Market Growth, Alberta Eyes Similar Path
Since Ontario opened the online gambling market to a multi-license system in April 2022, the market (and tax revenue) have seen tremendous growth.
Compared to that month, the total gaming revenue has grown by 613.7%. Online casinos experienced an even greater increase, at 993.7%, while sports betting revenue increased by 211.6%. In that time, Ontario has collected CA$1.48 billion ($1.08 billion).
Following Ontario’s success, Alberta has been exploring the possibility of expanding to a multi-licence system for several years. In 2024, these plans advanced as Dale Nally, Alberta’s Minister of Service and Red Tape Reduction, announced that the province was officially moving forward with plans to establish its regulated market.
Last month, the province reached a significant milestone when Bill 48, also known as the iGaming Alberta Act, passed the Alberta legislature’s Committee of the Whole. To become a law, it needs a Royal Assent from Lieutenant Governor Salma Lakhani.
While regulatory details are being sorted out, Alberta has no plans to limit the number of licenses, mirroring Ontario. The latter is home to over 50 online gambling brands.
If implemented, a likely launch date for the new online gambling market is expected for early 2026.
