Ontario Reports Second Best Online Casino Revenue Numbers Ever

Ontario’s gaming landscape is experiencing an unprecedented surge in popularity, largely driven by the rapid expansion of the online casino sector. Recent data reveals some incredible news for the province: April marked the second-best month ever for gross gaming revenue (GGR) since the market took off three years ago, coming in at CA$313.3 million. This impressive figure, fueled by the growing accessibility of digital betting, trails only January’s record of CA$328.4 million.

Online Gambling — Image by Tumisu from Pixabay

The Ontario iGaming logo. April marked the second-most lucrative month of gaming in the province. (Image: iGaming Ontario)

Reduction in sports betting revenue: Two months consecutively have shown a year-over-year decline in sports betting revenue.
Increasing Player Accounts: There’s been a slight increase in active player accounts from March.
Total Cash Wagering Figures: For April, the cash wagers amounted to CA$7.795 billion.

According to the latest market performance report released by iGaming Ontario, total cash wagers for April 2025 decreased by 2% from the previous month. However, this NAGGR figure represents a 6% increase from March, showing resilience in the market.

This GGR figure includes total cash wagers from all licensed operators minus player winnings. It does not include operational costs or other liabilities, and is subject to a 20% provincial tax rate.

Active player accounts for April stood at 1.091 million, showing a 3% increase from March, with an average spend of $287 per player. Currently, there are 49 licensed iGaming operators operating within Ontario and a total of 83 gaming websites available to players.

Casino Dominates the Market

As usual, the casino segment is the power generator for the market. Cash wagers on the casino side reached CA$6.58 billion, showing a minor 1% decline from March, thus capturing a substantial 84% market share. In comparison, cash wagers for all betting activities—this includes sports, esports, prop, and novelty bets—totalled CA$1.07 billion, representing a 10% decrease and forming a mere 14% of the market share.

Peer-to-peer poker also saw a decline, with a total of CA$144 million in cash wagered, resulting in a 2% market share.

On the NAGGR front, casinos reported a total of CA$242.8 million, an increase of 1% from March, holding a commanding 78% market share. In contrast, betting took in CA$64.5 million, a significant recovery of 34% from the previous month, despite a year-over-year decrease of 1%, allowing for a 21% market share. Peer-to-peer poker revenues dropped to CA$5.9 million, a 11% decline month over month resulting in a 2% market share.

Looking ahead, early indicators for 2025 suggest a concerning trend in sports betting, which has experienced two consecutive months of year-over-year decline. March was particularly unkind with sports betting revenue reported at CA$48 million, a drop from CA$51 million in March 2024, and down from CA$65 million in April 2024.

It’s common to see a dip in sports betting revenues during the warmer months until the peak NFL season ramps up.

Key Takeaways:

April’s GGR of CA$313.3 million is the second highest since the market’s inception.
Total cash wagers for April reached CA$7.795 billion, with casino wagers dominating the market share.
A slight increase in the number of active player accounts indicates a healthy interest in online gambling.

In conclusion, while there are challenges faced by sports betting in Ontario’s gaming market, the overall numbers present a positive outlook for the iGaming sector. The continued dominance of casinos assures a robust environment for growth and player engagement.