Casinos in the Lead
Online casinos solidified their position as Ontario’s iGaming cornerstone, contributing 85% of October’s revenue with CAD7.9 billion in wagers. They also generated $303.8 million in associated revenue, maintaining a wide gap over other gaming formats.
Sports betting concurrently hit a milestone, fueled by North America’s major league calendars and the Toronto Blue Jays’ playoff push. Wagering in this category climbed 16% month-on-month to CAD1.23 billion, representing one of the highest totals since the market launched in April 2022. Since then, live events have amplified player engagement.
Playoff Wins Limit Profits
Sports betting operators in Ontario reportedly flatlined revenue growth despite surging bets, with October’s sportsbook earnings reaching CAD58.3 million, a 25% monthly increase but a YoY decline. Analysts point to the Toronto Blue Jays’ extended World Series run against the Los Angeles Dodgers as the leading cause, during which bettors capitalized on favorable odds in the seven-game showdown.
Players’ success slashed sportsbook margins, yielding a historically low 4.7% hold rate. As one market analysis noted, the results created “player-friendly outcomes” that diluted operator profits despite CAD1.23 billion in total sports wagers.
Poker Resilience and Regulatory Shift
Ontario’s licensed iGaming platforms attracted 1.29 million active users in October, a 36% annual surge and 9% monthly gain, with average user revenue climbing to $286. Online poker defied a 9% decline in wagering to post a 10% revenue increase to $5.6 million. “P2P poker did CAD$131 million in wagers,” one analysis confirmed.
A landmark Ontario Court of Appeal ruling greenlit cross-border interaction for peer-to-peer gaming, paving the way for international player pools in poker and daily fantasy sports. This regulatory shift, long advocated by operators, unlocked higher engagement and revenue as platforms integrate global markets.
