iGaming Ontario Reports Record Revenues Following World Cup

iGaming Ontario reported a monthly wager record in July, with CA$9.88 billion in bets recorded for the month.

The total wagers marked a 31% year-over-year increase and CA$300 million more than March 2026 when the record was last broken.

The Canada Revenue Agency would also have been celebrating the CA$83 million in tax paid for the month of July. Meanwhile, iGaming Ontario would have been pleased with the 44% year-over-year increase in player accounts created compared to 2025.

World Cup, More Operators Spark iGaming Growth

Ontario expanded its state-regulated online gambling industry back in 2022. The number of licensed operators has grown year on year.

Ontario reported CA$1 billion in total handle for June. More brands are also going live in Ontario. July saw one of the largest U.S. brands enter the Ontario iGaming sphere when Hard Rock Bet went live.

However, the FIFA World Cup also played a part in increased revenue for Ontario iGaming.

The World Cup was co-hosted this year by Canada, the USA, and Mexico. The home team generated a fair amount of buzz, progressing from their group before being eliminated in the Round of 16.

Interestingly, the average revenue per player account fell from last year to CA$303. That could be put down to more casual sports betting customers opening accounts to place wagers on World Cup games.

Online Casino Still King in Ontario

Despite overall gambling activity up thanks arguably to the World Cup, the biggest wager amounts were on casino games.

Online casino wagers were up 30% year over year, to CA$8.78 billion. Casino gambling accounted for nearly 90% of all wagering online in the province.

The regulated Ontario iGaming market permits slots and table games. More operators are now active in Ontario, with major players like Blueprint Gaming, Gaming Corps, and Evoplay among the recent additions. Fanatics made a soft launch in Ontario this week.

Ontario now has 49 regulated operators across 84 sites, including 888casino, bet365, and BetMGM.

However, the Ontario Alcohol and Gaming Commission is not afraid to penalize operators that get out of line.

Last month, the AGCO fined Booming Games over its violation of the no-Autoplay rule in its online slots. The Autoplay tool was outlawed in 2021, one of the reasons Ontario has such strict player protection rules. It was the biggest online gambling fine handed out in Ontario since January, when FanDuel was fined $350,000 for suspicious betting activity.

All Eyes on Alberta

Ontario’s success will be closely watched across the country where Alberta is enjoying its fledgling online gambling industry.

Alberta opened online gambling in July with 22 private gaming operators offering slots and sports betting.

Alberta is taking a more cautious approach to the regulated space, with additional operators being added over the coming months. The province takes a similar cut – 20% – to Ontario Lottery and Gaming (OLG).

However, Alberta has more stringent self-exclusion rules than Ontario, a factor that could play as the province counts up the receipts come tax season.