Ontario reports record CA$8.1 billion wagers in August

How Ontario’s market reached scale

Ontario’s regulated online gambling market has grown from an ambitious provincial experiment into one of North America’s largest digital wagering hubs. The province’s decision to open the market in April 2022 set the stage for rapid expansion across casino, sports betting and poker. By its third year, the market logged CA$82.7 billion in wagers and CA$3.2 billion in gross gaming revenue, up roughly a third from the prior year, according to the regulator’s summary of the period from April 2024 to March 2025. That broad performance snapshot underscored casino gaming as the engine of growth, with sports betting a strong second and poker holding steady, as detailed in iGaming Ontario’s review of its third year of operations in CA$3.2 billion revenue in third year.

Momentum continued into late 2024 and early 2025. The regulator shifted from quarterly to monthly reporting to give the market timelier transparency and to highlight the sustained pace of activity across 50 operators and 83 licensed sites at the time. The change coincided with a record quarter: total wagers reached CA$22.7 billion in the third fiscal quarter, a 32 percent increase year over year, with online casinos accounting for the clear majority of both handle and revenue. Those figures, and the rationale for more frequent reporting, were outlined when iGaming Ontario switched to monthly reporting.

From quarterly highs to monthly records

Monthly data has helped clarify the contours of demand and seasonal swings. It also spotlighted new peaks. In August 2025, Ontario posted a record CA$8.1 billion in total cash wagers, up nearly 35 percent from a year earlier and the second time since May that wagers topped CA$8 billion for a single month. Non-adjusted gross gaming revenue climbed 40.5 percent to CA$334.8 million, even as average revenue per active account ticked down slightly, suggesting a widening player base. Online casino wagers comprised 89 percent of the market that month, while sports betting and poker posted smaller but still positive gains. The regulator’s August snapshot is captured in Ontario reports record CA$8.1 billion wagers in August.

These monthly highs build on the province’s record third-quarter totals. In that period, Ontario players spent CA$22.7 billion on igaming, up 22 percent from the prior quarter and 32 percent from a year earlier. Casino gaming led with CA$18.9 billion in handle and CA$644 million in revenue, both up more than a third year over year, while sports betting handle grew 10 percent. Poker saw a small decline, reflecting its smaller share of the market. Those trends were laid out when Ontario players broke the online gambling spending record in the third quarter, reinforcing the market’s reliance on slot and table game demand alongside steady betting interest.

Policy shifts that reshaped oversight

Behind the topline growth, governance changes have reshaped how Ontario oversees igaming. For much of the market’s first phase, iGaming Ontario worked in tandem with the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario through a shared regulatory framework. That arrangement evolved with legislative changes in late 2024, including Bill 216, which terminated the prior partnership structure. The forthcoming iGaming Ontario Act, set to be proclaimed in 2025, makes the agency an independent body with a direct mandate over the market. The regulator presented the transition alongside performance data when it announced monthly reporting and detailed revenue growth.

The independence move further distances the market’s commercial oversight from the provincial lottery and clarifies accountability for consumer protection, responsible gambling and market integrity. It also aligns with the province’s aim to cultivate a competitive field of licensed operators and suppliers under consistent rules. That policy posture has helped attract new entrants and content providers, expanding product variety and strengthening the market’s appeal to players who migrated from gray-market sites after regulation.

Operators, content and the competitive map

Operator expansion has been steady, with dozens of brands vying for player attention in casino and sports verticals. Content pipelines are a differentiator. The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario has licensed new suppliers, including international studios with sport-themed games that tap into crossover appeal. Game developer Gaming Corps, for instance, secured a provincial license as part of a North American push and is rolling out titles like Hoop Champion and Shootout Champion. The company framed Ontario as both a highly regulated market and a gateway to the region, as covered in Gaming Corps granted Ontario gaming license.

Brand proliferation has also included cross-border names refining their portfolios. In August, DraftKings brought its Golden Nugget Online Gaming brand into Ontario after securing a license from the AGCO, bolstering a roster already heavy with casino-led offerings. That debut was noted in the regulator’s monthly tally when Ontario wagers hit a new August record, underscoring how new product launches can coincide with handle peaks.

The competitive mix matters because casino content accounts for the lion’s share of wagers and revenue in Ontario. The market’s third-year breakdown showed casino gaming generating CA$2.4 billion in gross revenue, up 36 percent from the prior year, while sports betting climbed 23 percent to CA$724 million and poker held at CA$66 million. Those figures, contained in iGaming Ontario’s third-year revenue report, help explain operators’ emphasis on expanding slots and table game libraries, live dealer formats and localized content that can sustain engagement.

North American tailwinds and the stakes ahead

Ontario’s ascent coincides with broader North American adoption of legal sports betting and regulated igaming. In the United States, legal sportsbooks now operate in most states, and industry forecasts point to another record NFL season. The American Gaming Association expects Americans to wager US$30 billion on the 2025 NFL season through legal books, an 8.5 percent increase from last year’s revised handle, reflecting steady legalization and consumer normalization of regulated betting. Those projections were detailed when the trade group projected a record US$30 billion in NFL wagers.

For Ontario, the cross-border trend reinforces a few implications. First, sustained sportsbook growth can lift engagement for casino products that dominate revenue, as operators cross-sell and bundle promotions. Second, the province’s pivot to monthly reporting offers quicker visibility into the interplay between sports calendars and casino spend, helping policymakers and operators calibrate responsible gambling tools and marketing practices. Third, with the regulator’s independence and licensing cadence attracting more suppliers, the market’s content depth may continue to expand, keeping pressure on unregulated operators and channeling play into the legal ecosystem.

The stakes are sizeable. Ontario’s gross revenue trajectory and record-setting quarters point to a maturing market that still has room to grow through product innovation, responsible play frameworks and competitive pricing. But the composition of that growth matters. Casino-heavy revenue supports stability, while betting provides seasonal upside and brand visibility. As iGaming Ontario refines oversight and data cadence, and as operators invest in localized content and player protections, the province’s model will remain a reference point for other jurisdictions charting a path from legalization to sustainable, regulated expansion.