Ontario handle hits C$17.2bn in Q3 as online casino accounts for lion’s share of market
Operators report C$658m in revenue as active player accounts hit 1.2 million for the three months from October 1 to December 31
Ontario’s regulated gambling market reported total wagers of C$17.2bn ($12.7bn) in Q3 of fiscal year 2023-24.
Data released by released by iGaming Ontario (iGO), a subsidiary of Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), revealed a 21% increase in wagers from the previous quarter.
The reporting period for Q3 ran from October 1 to December 31, with total wagers not including promotional wagers.
Provincially licensed operators generated C$658m in total gambling revenue during Q3, with 49 operators utilizing 72 gaming websites. Total gambling revenue increased 22% compared to Q2. The regulator defines total gambling revenue as total cash wagers, including rake fees, tournament fees, and other fees across all of the province’s licensed operators.
A total of 1.2 million player accounts were active during the reporting period with an average monthly spend per active player account of C$186.
Breaking these figures down by vertical, online casino accounted for C$13.7bn of total wagers in Q3, or 79%, as well as C$471m of gaming revenue during the same period.
Sports betting accounted for C$3.1bn of Ontario’s C$17.2bn handle and C$171m of total revenue in the quarter.
Peer-to-peer poker recorded C$431m in total wagers in Q3 and C$17m in gaming revenue.
During Q3, AGCO issued PointsBet Canada with a fine of C$150,000 after an investigation found the firm had failed to meet responsible gambling requirements.
Breaches were found in several areas, most notably where PointsBet was found to have neglected to appropriately intervene when a player lost C$500,000 in under three months.
Elsewhere, iGO launched a request for proposals in November to develop a centralized self-exclusion system for the province.
The winning bidder will be expected to develop and implement a system that integrates with all licensed operators.
The AGCO subsidiary is aiming to launch this new system in the early part of this year.