Over the last 12 months, Canada again failed to win a game in the FIFA World Cup, the Toronto Maple Leafs' 55-year Stanley Cup drought continued, and a Buffalo Bills team backed by many north of the border once more failed to make it to the Super Bowl.
But the last year for Ontario sports bettors has been different than any before it. Prior to 2022, Ontarians had to resort to the gray or illegal market north of the U.S. border to place a single-game sports wager. Years of frustration for sports bettors in the province came to an end last April when Ontario launched the commercial iGaming market.
Thus far, the results have been staggering. During the first year, Ontarians wagered about $35.6 billion (CAD), resulting in about $1.4 billion in total gaming revenue, according to figures released by iGaming Ontario on Tuesday. The figures place Canada’s most populous province in the top five jurisdictions for online gambling in North America, iGaming Ontario added. Instead of providing individual breakouts, iGaming Ontario reports iCasino, mobile sports betting, and online poker wagers in one single category.
Ontario Emerges as One of North America's Largest iGaming Markets in First Year. Please see our full press release here: https://t.co/7iDSWz9jqE#PlayWithConfidence pic.twitter.com/8rULPx9IMU
— iGaming Ontario (@iGamingOntario) April 4, 2023
In total, betting activity in the commercial iGaming market has exceeded the expectations of the Canadian Gaming Association (CGA), the nation’s leading trade association for gaming operators and suppliers.