Do Canadians Still Enjoy a Good Bet? Unpacking the Shifting Landscape of Gambling

Canadians enjoy a good wager. But are people betting more today, or just changing their habits? The numbers reveal an odd split. Total gambling revenue just hit an all-time high. But overall participation is dropping. People are betting less. This is much bigger than a standard boom.

National gross gambling revenue hit around $19.8 billion in 2024-25. Before the pandemic, that number hovered between $14 billion and $15 billion. Single-event sports betting became legal in August 2021. The market surged right after. Ontario’s regulated online market followed in April 2022. Growth has since slowed. Money that used to flow through grey-market sites now shows up in official government reports. While nominal figures show substantial growth, a deeper dive reveals a nuanced story of shifting engagement.

We pulled data from the Canadian Gambling Statistics Database to see the real story. We’ll break down national totals, individual spending patterns, and the rapid rise of online platforms. The big takeaway isn’t a simple betting surge. The reality has far more layers.

The Evolving Landscape of Canadian Gambling Revenue

First, let’s look at the headline number. Canada’s gross gambling revenue, known as GGR, hit roughly $19.8 billion in 2024-25. This stat measures player losses after paying out winnings. Analysts view GGR as the best benchmark for actual market size. This shows the net cash Canadians spent on gambling.

Before the pandemic, that number hovered around $14 to $15 billion. Then COVID hit, casinos shut down, and GGR tanked to roughly $7.2 billion in 2020-21. Once things reopened, the growth wasn’t gradual. The real jump happened in 2022-23. GGR leapt from about $12.7 billion to $18.3 billion in a single year. Keep in mind that these figures represent gross player losses, not total money wagered. Turnover numbers would look far bigger, since they’d include every dollar bet and rebet. GGR just shows what stays with operators after payouts.

Two main events explain that spike. First off, Canada legalized single-game sports betting back in August 2021 when Bill C-218 passed. Single bets were off-limits before that. Shortly after, Ontario rolled out its legal iGaming market in April 2022. That move let private online casinos launch legal services for the first time. These moves completely reshaped Canada’s regulated gambling market.

Beyond the Boom: Plateauing Growth and Shifting Participation

Here comes the twist. The massive growth from 2022-23 completely stalled out. National revenue rose just 2% year-over-year, edging up from $19.4 billion to $19.8 billion in 2024-25. Compare that weak growth to the previous year’s 45% spike. The slowdown stands out instantly.

Participation isn’t growing with the money. In fact, fewer Canadians gamble now than before. So what’s driving all this new cash? The truth is that a smaller group of heavy bettors drops most of the cash. Fewer Canadians are gambling, but the ones who do are spending more. Market expansion used to come from fresh users. Today, growth relies on existing users spending more.

Context helps explain the numbers. Much of this growth comes from formalizing the market. Grey-market money moved onto official balance sheets. Throw in inflation and population growth, and the revenue leap loses its shine. Looking at raw dollars misses the big picture. Pairing it with per-adult figures and flat participation data gives a much clearer picture of what’s actually going on. This avoids declaring a simple boom and shows the real dynamics at play.

Per-Adult Spending: Underlining the Intensity of Engagement

Breaking figures down by adult population clarifies this intensity trend. Saskatchewan leads Canada with a gambling GGR of about $835 per adult. Alberta ranks second at roughly $672, while Ontario follows closely at around $667.

Ontario also leads in a different category. Ontarians log the highest digital spend in the nation, dropping about $221 per adult on online gambling platforms. That’s a striking figure given how new the regulated online market still is in that province.

These numbers back up the earlier point. Revenue growth isn’t coming from more Canadians trying gambling for the first time. Instead, it’s coming from existing gamblers, particularly online ones, spending noticeably more per person than before. That explains how revenue climbs while fewer people play.

The Digital Shift: Online Gambling Takes Centre Stage

Brick-and-mortar casinos still draw crowds. But online gambling is where the rapid expansion is happening. Online revenue hit roughly $3.6 billion in 2024-25, capturing about one-fifth of the entire Canadian market. Simply put, no other format is growing this fast.

Ontario deserves special attention here. The province generates over 50% of Canada’s entire gambling revenue, boasting a total GGR of around $9.35 billion. Online platforms are expanding rapidly within the region. Digital revenue hit about $2.83 billion in 2024-25, representing a full third of Ontario’s market. Just one year earlier, that figure sat at $1.82 billion, representing only a quarter of the province’s revenue.

Alberta is the next province to watch. On July 13, 2026, it is set to become the second province in Canada to open a regulated private online gambling market, following Ontario’s lead. Before that date, PlayAlberta stood as the only legal online option in the province, generating about $235 million in 2024-25. With private operators now allowed to compete, Alberta’s online numbers are expected to increase as private operators enter the regulated market.

Online gambling keeps growing fast. Easy access and new legal markets drive most of this trend. But the data primarily measures spending rather than the reasons behind player behaviour.

Format Breakdown: Traditional Strongholds and Digital Growth

Even with digital platforms surging, traditional casinos still hold the top spot nationally. Physical venues pulled in roughly $7.95 billion in GGR. Lotteries took second place at $4.28 billion, online gambling reached $3.6 billion, and VLTs brought in $2.44 billion.

Traditional formats continue to lead total spending for now. But fast-paced online growth suggests that lead will dwindle in coming years. Canada’s gambling scene is in transition. Old-school casinos are balancing out with massive online growth.

Conclusion: A Complex Bet for Canadians

Are Canadians gambling more? The honest answer is complicated. Post-pandemic gambling revenue has clearly surged. Bill C-218 and Ontario’s market launch kicked off massive changes overnight. Even so, raw numbers hide the full story.

Market expansion hit a wall with just a 2% increase lately. Total players haven’t grown at all. A smaller group of big spenders carries the load. When you add the formalisation of grey-market spend, inflation, and population growth, the big picture looks totally different.

The true market dynamics are much more complex than headline revenue numbers suggest. Online gambling remains the clearest area of growth. Ontario drives this movement while Alberta prepares to join in. Traditional casinos still command the largest share. But that lead gets smaller by the year.

Canadians still love a good bet. The way people gamble just looks totally different now. Fewer people appear to be gambling. But those who do are spending more, particularly through online platforms. For many active gamblers, the casino floor is being replaced by the screen in their pocket.