iGaming Ontario: “As we enter our fourth year, we are now seeing the true scope of Ontario’s igaming market”

A spokesperson for iGaming Ontario spoke to Focus Gaming News about the regulated online gaming market since its launch in the Canadian province.

Exclusive interview.- Ontario is celebrating its third anniversary since it launched its regulated online gaming market. Since then, the Canadian province has experienced steady growth, reporting $82.7bn in wagers and $3.2bn in gross gaming revenue for the year ended March 31, 2025.

In an exclusive interview with Focus Gaming News, a spokesperson from iGaming Ontario shared insights about the online gaming market, its success, main goals, its commitment to responsible gaming, and the challenges for the rest of the year.

The Ontario igaming market celebrates a new anniversary. What is your evaluation of the three years since opening?

We are pleased that Ontarians have embraced the player protections and unprecedented choice offered through our regulated competitive igaming market these last three years. The iGaming Ontario market continued to mature in its third year thanks to a strong roster of operators and a robust list of games available for Ontario players.

iGaming Ontario topped $82.7bn in wagers and $3.2bn in gross gaming revenue in Year 3, as we reported on our website. Ontario’s regulated competitive igaming market also sustains some 15,000 jobs and contributes more than $1bn to government coffers, according to a June 2024 report by Deloitte.

A large majority of Ontarians (83.7 per cent) continue to choose to play on regulated sites, according to a third annual IPSOS study commissioned by iGaming Ontario and the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO). However, there is more work to be done, as 20.2 per cent of those playing on regulated sites are also still engaging with the unregulated market.

“We are pleased that Ontarians have embraced the player protections and unprecedented choice offered through our regulated competitive igaming market these last three years.”

iGaming Ontario.

What are the main goals achieved since the igaming launch in the Canadian province?

Internet gambling didn’t start with the Ontario government’s decision to create an open, regulated igaming market and establish iGaming Ontario to conduct and manage it. Before the regulated market launched in April 2022, grey market operators dominated the marketplace, operating without any regulatory requirements for player protections, self-exclusion, or responsible gambling tools. 

That has changed. iGaming Ontario has worked closely with the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) and operators to implement responsible gambling programs, tools, and technology.  This includes deposit-limit and time-limit setting tools, ways of taking a short-term or long-term break, and easily accessible links to gambling support services, such as the ConnexOntario helpline. iGaming Ontario also requires all operators to dedicate a portion of their gross gaming revenue (GGR) towards running paid advertising initiatives solely dedicated to educating Ontario players and the public on problem gambling prevention and responsible gambling.

Today, all players in Ontario can be assured that any games played on the regulated marketplace, which includes iGaming Ontario’s operators and OLG’s online offering, have player protections incorporated into them to help prevent those harms.

Responsible gaming has always been a key objective in the province. What work is being done to ensure this is achieved? What can you tell us about the new self-exclusion system?

We know that while the majority of players engage in online gambling as a fun source of entertainment, any form of gambling can come with the potential risk of experiencing harm. This is why all players can be assured that any games played on the regulated iGaming Ontario marketplace will have evidence-based player protections incorporated into them to help prevent those potential harms.

iGaming Ontario is committed to continuously reviewing our policies, procedures, and programs to ensure that we remain a leader in responsible gambling and that Ontarians who choose to gamble are empowered to play with confidence. Additionally, we are in constant communication with our operators and our government partners at the AGCO and OLG to ensure that we are sharing knowledge and best practices around safety, responsible gambling and player protection.

We are constantly looking for ways we can do more through education and projects such as our upcoming centralized self-exclusion platform, where players can choose to self-exclude from all regulated igaming sites in Ontario at once (including OLG.ca). We will share more information on this in due course.

To best protect players, it is also important that we continue to encourage Ontarians who choose to gamble to do so on regulated igaming sites.

iGaming Ontario’s executive director, Martha Otton, announced her retirement. How is the entity facing the transition to her successor? At what stage is the search for a new director?

David Smith is currently the interim executive director of iGaming Ontario. We do not have any updates to share about our long-term leadership at this time.

We are constantly looking for ways we can do more through education and projects such as our upcoming centralized self-exclusion platform”.

iGaming Ontario.

Do you think other Canadian provinces are close to following Ontario’s lead in opening up the igaming market?

We understand that Alberta is currently considering a bill that would establish a regulated competitive igaming market in the province.

As Canada’s igaming landscape continues to evolve, we are open to working with our colleagues in other provinces, sharing best practices and working together to elevate the standards of online gaming for Canadians who choose to play.

iGaming Ontario continues to be available to operators, government, and industry partners looking for information about Ontario’s regulated igaming market.

Ultimately, each Canadian province will make its own decisions regarding igaming and regulated markets.

What are the entity’s challenges for the rest of the year?

As we enter our fourth year, we are now seeing the true scope of Ontario’s igaming market, and have a better understanding of how Ontarians want to play. We are also developing our understanding of the protections we can offer to people who gamble in the province, and looking ahead to the launch of our centralized self-exclusion system.

All of this will come under the leadership of our next chief executive, whom we look forward to bringing on this year.