Breaking Records: Ontario’s iGaming Evolution Continues to Improve

Ontario followed its counterparts in the US in March, posting near record iGaming revenue of $285 million USD, up 13% month over month and more than $65 million from March 2025. Total wagers did reach an all time high of $7 billion. On a slightly less optimistic note however the closely watched Active Monthly User Number fell back to 1.23 million down 5%, but Average Revenue per Active Monthly Player skyrocketed to $230.

Post-NFL Slump and Operator Exits

Interestingly, that drop may be partly related to the end of the NFL season, though some sites also left the market.  While many people immediately think of Hockey when considering Canadian Sports betting, as many as 30% of Canadians punters bet on the NFL. 

The end of the season sees a pullback in iGaming active monthly users as well, though the disappearance of the more casual sports bettor from the iGaming sites is also what helps spike the average monthly per player revenue higher. 

The recent exit of Casumo and Conquistador casinos also likely caused part of the decline in Active Users, and would generally indicate a maturing market though both the continuing double-digit revenue growth and the experience of Michigan, bordering Ontario to the south would indicate that there is still room fot the best online casinos in Ontario to grow.

Examining the Revenue Gap with Michigan

With 6 million fewer residents, Michigan reported slightly over $372 million in digital gaming revenue in March. That's $36 per resident compared to Ontario’s $17. That’s with only 15 online operators. Much of that may come down to the fact that in Ontario, you are prohibited from advertising bonuses, sign-up offers, or free play on television, radio, billboards, or even social media. 

They also don’t allow athletes or celebrities to appear in gambling ads or promotions.

A Competitive Framework with Favorable Taxation

The market was however designed to encourage competition, with low barriers of entry and reasonable licensing fees. It currently has 45 operators with 79 separate gaming websites for Ontario’s population of around 16 million people. Alberta is widely expected to open a new iGaming and sports market modeled on the success of the Ontario market in the next few months. 

The province has a relatively low 20% tax rate on gambling revenue, and famously welcomed in some grey market offshore sites back in 2022, allowing them to enter the regulated and taxed market in return for submitting for licensing and agreeing to operate under strict provincial rules around advertising and Know Your Customer regulations. 

Sustainable Growth and the Road Ahead for Canada

The competitive nature of the market ensures that casino operators put customers first, while the reasonable tax rate allows them to invest in promotions, and reinvestment in ways that many of their US counterparts with more than 50% tax rates simply can not. While the end of the NFL season and the inability of the market to resort to using a barrage of advertising over the airwaves and online, as might be typical in other venues, is challenging, the core players, now spending almost $230 USD a month, continue to propel revenue higher even with smaller overall player counts.

Now, as Alberta prepares to mirror this framework, the Canadian casino industry shift becomes more clear. As players soon begin searching for the best online casinos in Alberta, they will find a market prioritizing stable, well-regulated, and reasonably taxed jurisdictions over throwing money at new player sign-ups and aggravating both nonplayers and players alike with a constant stream of always-on and in-your-face commercials - a shift that may be in both the interest of the casinos and the public at large.