Canada
Ontario Emerges as One of North America’s Largest iGaming Markets in First Year
In just one year, the new legal iGaming market in Ontario has delivered about $35.6 billion in total wagers and approximately $1.4 billion in total gaming revenue, placing the province among the top five iGaming jurisdictions in North America.
iGaming Ontario is thrilled to announce these totals to mark the open market’s one-year anniversary. Ontario was the first Canadian province to launch an open, regulated iGaming market on April 4, 2022. Since then, more than 1.6 million active player accounts on websites run by 40+ operators with agreements with iGaming Ontario have made the province the most competitive market in continental North America.
For those in Ontario and Canada, PowerPlay bonuses help to kickstart your online betting fun today.
“Ontario’s iGaming market has displaced the pre-existing unregulated market and made Ontario a recognized leader internationally in this industry since its launch in April of 2022,” the Attorney General of Ontario, Doug Downey, said. “We are truly proud of this strong, responsible and competitive online gaming model. I want to especially commend the strong leadership of Executive Director Martha Otton, Board Chair Dave Forestell and the rest of the team at iGaming Ontario for helping us transform Ontario into a global leader in the sector.”
“Today’s numbers demonstrate that Ontario has one of the best online gaming markets in the world,” said Forestell. “Since Ontario opened the market, we have seen new investment, job creation and captured revenue that used to leave the province. Ontario is well on its way to becoming the best gaming jurisdiction in the world.”
“Every player who places a wager with a legal operator is doing so in a safe, regulated and protected environment,” said Otton. “I want to thank the players, our 40+ operators and our government partners for placing their trust in us. Together we can help this market continue its strong performance.”
Digging into player choices and market trends over the last year:
*On average, iGaming Ontario numbers show the monthly spend per active player account over the last year to be about $70.
*According to an Ipsos survey conducted in March 2023 and released today by the AGCO, around 85% of respondents who gambled online in Ontario over the past three months gambled on regulated sites.
*The most popular sport to bet on was basketball at 28% of betting wagers followed by soccer at 15%, football at 14%, then hockey at 9% and baseball at 8%.
*Within the online casino category, nearly half (48%) of all casino wagers were on slots, nearly a third (32%) on table games with a live dealer and the remainder (19%) on computer-based table games.
Quotes
Bet365:
“As one of the first companies to join Ontario’s regulated iGaming market, we welcome that our ongoing relationship with iGaming Ontario has allowed us to offer a quality product for our customers in a safe and responsible environment. We look forward to working together into the future to continue to raise standards in the regulated market.”
George Sweny, Regulatory Affairs Vice-President for Flutter International:
“At Flutter, we are so proud of Ontario’s success in establishing a regulated and competitive iGaming market over the past year. We invested in growing our local Canadian team to launch a full range of both FanDuel and PokerStars’ safe and trusted products as registered operators in the province, allowing Ontario sports fans and Casino players to engage responsibly.
Bruce Caughill, Canada Managing Director for Rush Street Interactive:
“It has been an exciting first year for BetRivers in the province. We have enjoyed a positive and receptive response from customers to our many products. It has been great collaborating with iGaming Ontario, who has been instrumental in making this launch a success for all stakeholders.
Benjie Levy, President and Chief Operating Officer for theScore and Head of Penn Interactive:
“As Canada’s first province to establish a legal market for private operators, Ontario has distinguished itself while proving the widespread benefits that derive from a consumer friendly and commercially minded framework.”
Stats Perform, the global leader in sports AI, data and technology, has announced an official data partnership with the Northern Super League (NSL). The partnership will allow world-leading Opta data to be collected live from every NSL league game for the next three years.
Beginning this month, the Northern Super League (NSL) establishes a new era in Canadian sport as the country’s first professional domestic women’s soccer league — an ambitious and transformative initiative co-founded by former Canadian international and Olympic medallist Diana Matheson. Its inaugural season kicks off on April 16 and will feature six teams who have assembled multinational player rosters with extensive club and international experience, including 100-cap Canadian internationals Desiree Scott and Quinn.
Once the action begins, detailed data from every on-ball event, including advanced AI-powered Opta Analytics metrics such as Expected Goals (xG) and Expected Assists (xA), will be captured and distributed via feeds and Stats Perform products, including OptaAI Studio. This will enable various broadcasters, publishers and rights holders to generate stories and insights throughout the NSL season and provide them straight to the league’s fans in real time.
As part of the agreement, the NSL’s League Office and every NSL club will also have access to Opta Search, part of OptaAI Studio. This will allow their content creators to leverage all Opta data collected during the NSL season in the creation of data-led stories on the stand-out performers, and will help them generate key talking points for publication on official league and club platforms. Opta Search will also empower the NSL’s media team to create a range of data visualizations, including player shot maps and touch maps, to visually illustrate the impact of different players’ on-field performances.
Christina Litz, NSL President, said: “We are thrilled to have Stats Perform on board as our official data partner. When we talk about detailed performance data in soccer, Opta is the gold standard, so we are delighted to have it powering each of our official digital channels. As the season progresses, we want to put the spotlight on all the on-field heroes who emerge and having access to world-class data will help us tell their stories and inspire a new generation of Canadian soccer fans.”
Steve Xeller, Chief Revenue Officer at Stats Perform, said: “Stats Perform has been a huge supporter of expansion leagues around the world, so we are very pleased to be partnering with NSL in the lead-up to their first domestic campaign. Seeing a fully professional women’s soccer league launch in Canada is an incredibly exciting development for the sport in North America and we see considerable potential in working proactively with the League’s Head Office to help the competition grow, using the power of AI and data-led storytelling to build fan communities across the continent.”
With the Ottawa Senators securing a playoff spot in the NHL, ToonieBet will be there every step of the way, engaging fans with exclusive giveaways, premium entertainment, and a casino experience that mirrors the team’s energy and excitement.
The Ottawa Senators and Tooniebet, an online casino for players across Ontario, announced a partnership that will make Tooniebet the NHL team’s Official Online Casino Partner.
Tooniebet, which launched in 2024 is part of Soft2Bet – one of the world’s fastest growing iGaming turnkey solutions providers with iGaming brands around the world with a portfolio of 19 global licenses, including Ontario.
Additional highlights of the Ottawa Senators and TonnieBet partnership will include:
- In-Arena & Broadcast Branding: Digitally enhanced dashboards for home and away games
- In-rink board signage for home games
- Virtual slot signage for various games
- Digital inventory throughout the Ottawa Senators site on NHL.com
- Direct Fan Engagement: Social contests and promotions hosted on Senators’ digital platforms
- Television Broadcast Branding: Digitally enhanced rink boards for home and away games
- In-arena rink board signage for home games
Martin Ballard, VP Corporate Partnerships, Ottawa Senators stated: “We are thrilled to welcome ToonieBet as an official partner of the Ottawa Senators. Cooperating with a brand that shares our commitment to providing fans with an exceptional and trusted experience is incredibly exciting. Together, we look forward to delivering memorable moments and engaging our passionate fanbase in new and innovative ways.”
Oksana Tsyhankova, Chief Marketing Officer at Soft2Bet, commented: “Partnering Soft2Bet’s ToonieBet brand with the Ottawa Senators is a significant milestone that reinforces our strong brand presence in Ontario. In a short period, we have achieved impressive performance and retention results, with a primary focus on localised, engaging experiences for Canadian players, which makes ToonieBet truly set itself apart.”
By tapping into the Senators’ digital platforms and in-arena presence, ToonieBet will stay close to the action and connect with fans in real, engaging ways while continuing to offer a top-quality online casino experience.
ToonieBet offers a fast, localised online casino experience for players in Ottawa and across Ontario. Through this partnership, fans will have the chance to win Senators merchandise and tickets while ToonieBet grows its presence in a competitive Ontario market. With in-arena branding, regional broadcast coverage, and digital promotions, ToonieBet will be highly visible to the team’s loyal supporters.
PENN Entertainment announced that it has launched theScore Casino, a new stand-alone iCasino app in Ontario. The dedicated online casino experience leverages the popular theScore brand, which has been a mainstay in the Ontario market for decades. Now available on Android, iOS, and desktop, customers can login using their existing theScore Bet credentials, allowing for a seamless experience across online gaming platforms.
theScore Casino operates on the same cutting-edge proprietary technology platform as PENN’s online Hollywood Casino, which launched as a standalone product in the US in December. The product was recently ranked by Eilers & Krejcik as the #2 overall iCasino product in the US.
theScore Casino, also available within theScore Bet app, offers a variety of online slots, table games, and live dealer content, including original titles from PENN Game Studios, the company’s in-house game development studio. theScore Casino also includes bespoke live dealer tables and exclusive games such as Blue Jays Blackjack, an original title leveraging theScore Bet’s partnership with the Toronto Blue Jays.
“We’re excited to introduce our dedicated iCasino product in Ontario under the well-known and trusted theScore brand. We’ve built a strong online gaming foothold in the Ontario market and are primed to deliver an even better casino experience with our proven stand-alone app. Our customer-friendly platform features more than 1200 games, dozens of original titles and intuitive game play that distinguishes our product and positions us for even greater success,” said Aaron LaBerge, Chief Technology Officer and Head of Interactive at PENN Entertainment.
-
Latest News6 days agoSOFTSWISS Ignites Brazil with ‘Race Like a Legend’ Experience
-
Latest News6 days agoSOFTSWISS and Rubens Barrichello Extend Strategic Collaboration in Latin America
-
Compliance Updates6 days agoMGCB Opens Investigations into Unlicensed Sports Prediction Markets
-
Latest News6 days agoSCCG Becomes Sponsor of SFT Combat
-
Latest News6 days agoIGSA Welcomes VISA as its New Payments Committee Member
-
Latest News5 days agoTHE VISUALIZE GROUP TO ACQUIRE BMM TESTLABS, PARTNERING WITH CEO MARTIN STORM TO ACCELERATE GROWTH IN REGULATED GAMING
-
Latest News5 days agoExperienced provider, Strive to provide its award winning player account management system and apps to Delta Bingo & Gaming Online
-
Compliance Updates5 days agoESA Gaming gains Brazilian Certification