The Ontario iGaming market keeps growing.
During a panel discussion on Canadian iGaming Wednesday at the Global Gaming Conference in Las Vegas, iGaming Ontario Executive Director Martha Otton revealed bettors in the nation’s most populous province wagered $18.5 billion through legal online Ontario sports betting, iGaming, and poker sites for the second quarter of the 2024-25 fiscal year, which ran from June 30 to Sept. 30.
That is slightly better than the then-record $18.4 billion the agency reported for the first quarter of the fiscal year back in July. However, Otton said the quarter saw a $4.3 billion increase in activity from the same period last year.
In addition, operators, such as Pinnacle Ontario Sportsbook, reported earning $737 million in revenue, a 1.5% improvement from the $726 million they won in the first quarter. The 24-25 second quarter figure is also 36.5% better than the $540 million iGaming Ontario announced for the 2023-24 second quarter.
Otton, who is retiring at the end of the year, did not provide a breakdown of handle or revenue by online casino, sports betting and poker sites. That breakdown was also not immediately available on the iGaming Ontario website.
Learn More: Latest on online casinos in Ontario
Ontario Casino & Sports Betting, Q2 2024-25 FY vs. Q1 2024-25 FY
| Quarter | Total Handle | Revenue |
| Q2 (July to September 2024) | $18.5B | $737M |
| Q1 (April to June 2024) | $18.4B | $726M |
| Change | Up .5% | Up 1.5% |
‘Entertainment Choice For Players In Ontario’
Currently, iGaming Ontario has agreements in place with 51 operators, including BetRivers.ca and Sports Interaction Ontario. Those companies run 83 online sites available to bettors in the province.
That “makes us the most competitive market in North America… So, I would say, it’s the entertainment choice for players in Ontario, absolutely,” Otton said.
While the number of permitted operators and sites has plateaued, Otton added there’s still room for growth and improvement within the online gaming market in Ontario.
“Liquidity, for instance, is an issue that has perhaps seen poker not as popular as we hoped it would be, and pay-to-play daily fantasy sports do not exist in the province right now. So, I’m hopeful that there are some things there that we can do to even further improve that entertainment choice for players.”
