Quebec Online Gambling a Target for Election Hopefuls

For Quebec, online gambling just became a major battleground in the upcoming provincial election.

The Quebec general election is scheduled for 5 October, and both opposition candidates have expressed support for opening up the province’s iGaming industry.

The Quebec Liberal Party’s Charles Milliard has spoken out in favour of liberalising online gambling. Parti Québécois is supporting the move, citing the success of Ontario’s iGaming industry as part of the reason for opening up.

An End to State-Run Online Gambling?

As in Alberta and Ontario prior to a few years ago, Quebec has a long-running state monopoly on online gambling. Loto Québec is the sole licensed gambling site, regulated by the Société des loteries du Québec to provide casino games, bingo, and sports betting.

By opening up the iGaming industry in Quebec, it would spell the end of the province’s state-run framework. However, it’s unclear whether Loto Québec would close or end up competing with the likes of bet365, 888, and DraftKings for business.

Quebec’s Online Gaming Framework: A Snapshot

• Loto-Québec launched in 1969 to run lotteries in the province
• The subsidiary, Société des casinos du Québec, runs four brick-and-mortar casinos in the province
• Loto-Québec launched its online gambling site, Espacejeux, in 2010
• An online sportsbook was added to the site in 2012
• The ruling Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) has no plans to expand online gaming

What They Said: Opposition Parties Back Expansion

The Quebec Liberal Party (PLQ) has said that Loto-Québec’s monopoly is outdated and doesn’t stop residents from gambling at other sites.

Parti Québécois seems to be on board too, despite having spoken out against regulated online gambling last year. Parti Québécois leader Paul St. Pierre Plamondon has previously attacked unregulated sports betting in the province as being like the “Wild West”.

The larger Quebec Online Gaming Coalition (QOGC) has been the most vocal about opening up the province’s regulated space.

The QOGC is made up of some of the biggest online gaming operators, including DraftKings, Rush Street, and Entain. They claim that 73% of Quebecers gambling online, adding that two thirds of gamblers favour regulation.

Using Ontario as a guinea pig, the coalition also says that Quebec could bring in CA$300 million via a licensing model.

The QOGC’s Ariane Gauthier said that they were pleased that the election campaign in Quebec was “providing an opportunity to discuss the modernization of the regulatory framework for online gaming”.

Alberta, Ontario Show the Way

A regulated space for private operators in a province that has had state-run monopolies for years.

Sound familiar? That’s what both Alberta and Ontario have had. Until now.

Ontario iGaming has been the guinea pig for a country without a nationwide regulatory framework. It’s been a big success, with Ontario reporting record revenues.

In August, iGaming Ontario recorded CA$1 billion in total wagering for June. That was in part down to a home World Cup, being played jointly in Canada, Mexico, and the U.S.

However, online casino games also account for huge revenues in Ontario. For the year 2023–2024, casino wagers totalled CA$51.7 billion, up 88% compared to the previous 12 months.

Alberta opened up its online gambling industry in 2026. The province took a cautious launch approach in the summer but now has 49 operators. The list includes some of the biggest names in gaming. Alberta is being ambitious and predicting to generate around CA$76 million in extra revenue for its first 12 months of operations.