A recent survey by global market researcher, Ipsos, has revealed that online betting in Canada is on a rapid rise. It also shows that barely a year after being legalized, iGaming already holds a substantial segment of the country’s financial market.
The Ipsos poll carried out over May 2022 showed that a major portion of the population are currently engaged in some form of online gambling activity. Over the last two months, with the opening of Ontario’s legal iGaming market, a flood of new apps and sites have been causing business to skyrocket.
Aside from the above, the survey also revealed several other interesting facts and figures about online gambling around the country.
Which Province Has The Highest Number Of Online Gamblers?
The newly regulated province of Ontario has jumped to a leading position in the country’s iGaming market, with an average of 33 percent of the adult population currently owning iGaming accounts.
However, the province with the highest percentage of iGaming accounts remains Atlantic Canada, at 41 percent. The average for each province, according to the Ipsos poll, is as follows:
- Atlantic Canada – 41%
- Ontario – 33%
- British Columbia – 33%
- Quebec – 26 %
- Alberta – 24%
- Manitoba/Saskatchewan – 22%
Are Private Or Provincial Operators More Popular?
According to the poll, 56 percent of bets in Canada are placed through private commercial gambling operators, while 44 percent are place through provincial government operators. The success of private operators is believed to be largely due to the already established online betting grey market in certain provinces.
Alberta and Manitoba-Saskatchewan reportedly have the highest number of private operators. They also subsequently earn the lowest percentage of revenue for government regulated provincial operators.
Other information discovered by the poll regarding public and private operators in Canada, includes:
- In Ontario, online gamblers placed 43 percent of all bets at OLG.ca.
- In British Columbia, a third of all bets went to BCLC’s PlayNow, with the rest spread out between private operators.
- Online gamblers in Atlantic Canada placed 44 percent of bets at ALC.ca.
- Around 57 percent of Quebec’s online gamblers favor betting at Lotoquebec.com.
Many Canadians Remain Unaware That iGaming Is Legal In Ontario
Another revealing piece of information from the survey was that many Canadians are still unaware that the betting market in the province has been legalized. Only 41 percent of participants in Ontario, when asked, knew that online betting had become legal there. Outside of the province, only around 26 percent were aware.
A press release by Ipsos stated that most uninformed participants generally displayed great interest upon learning of Ontario’s recent policy change. Many went further to declare a high likeliness of trying out online gambling at some point soon.
The interest generated by Ontario’s new online betting market contrasts greatly with the interest of gamblers that remain unaware of the new laws. According to Ipsos, however, this will likely soon change as online gambling takes center stage across Canada.
Ontario Set To Become Canada’s Online Gambling Hub
As Canada’s most populous province, Ontario’s newly regulated online casino and sports betting industry is currently flourishing. With the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, and over 20 of the most popular online gambling operators, legally registered with iGaming Ontario, this will likely only continue. Ontario will soon become the iGaming hub of Canada. However, what yet remains uncertain is how much of the market will remain in the hands of the popular private operators, or not.
