Canadian Gaming

Ontario iGaming June Results: World Cup Drives Sports Betting Handle Past $1 Billion

Posted on: July 30, 2026, 09:21h.

Last updated on: July 30, 2026, 09:21h.

Written by

Mark Keast Mark is a long-time, seasoned journalist, as a writer and editor, working for several Toronto daily newspapers, then moving over to the digital arena, covering both sports and business. Over the past few years he moved over to the gaming arena, specifically covering the igaming industry in Canada for several platforms, as well as writing on sports betting.

Key Points

The 2026 FIFA World Cup propelled Ontario sports betting handle above $1 billion during June
Sports betting outperformed typical summer trends as the expanded World Cup created sustained wagering opportunities
Casino remained Ontario's dominant iGaming vertical despite softer month-over-month revenue across the overall regulated market

The 2026 Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup gave Ontario’s regulated online gaming market a major boost in June, driving a surge in sports betting revenue as bettors flocked to wager on the tournament, according to iGaming Ontario (iGO) financial reporting.

Portugal’s forward Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring his team’s first goal from the penalty spot during the 2026 World Cup round of 32 football match between Portugal and Croatia at the Toronto Stadium in Toronto on July 2. (Image: Cole Burston / AFP via Getty Images)

The event, held across the United States, Mexico, as well as in Toronto and Vancouver, helped fuel one of the strongest months of sports betting activity this year, underscoring the impact that major global sporting events can have on the province’s regulated market.

The World Cup ran June 11 to July 19.

World Cup Sparks Betting

While iGaming Ontario does not report betting by sport, sportsbooks reported record-setting handle numbers on the tournament.

According to iGaming Ontario’s financial reporting, cash wagers for the sports betting vertical in Ontario eclipsed CAD $1 billion in June ($1.033 billion), a 6% month-over-month increase (11% market share). June’s result marked the eighth month in which sports betting handle eclipsed $1 billion over the previous 12-month period.

On the NAGGR (Non-Adjusted Gross Gaming Revenue) front, sports betting came in at $78.6 million for June, a 3% month-over-month decrease, and a 20% market share.

Summer is usually a downtime, when pro sports leagues like the National Basketball Association (NBA), National Football League (NFL), and National Hockey League (NHL) are not in action.

Sportsbooks Top $1B

This time out, the World Cup featured plenty of betting opportunities, with increases in both the number of participating teams (48) and the number of games (104).

In June 2025, cash wagers for sports betting in Ontario were $768 million; NAGGR was $58.5 million.

Overall, covering all iGaming categories, Ontario came in at $9.458 billion for June, a zero per cent increase, and $400.6 million on the NAGGR side, a three per cent decrease.

Player Accounts Increase

The number of active player accounts increased 5% month over month, to 1.319 million, while the average revenue per active account came in at $304, an 8% decrease.

Casino continued to dominate the market – generating $8.299 billion in cash wagers, a 1% month-over-month decrease, and an 88% market share. On the revenue side, digital casino came in at $316.8 million, a 3% decrease from May, with a 79% market share.

Casino Still Dominates

Peer-to-peer poker cash wagers were $126 million, a 6% decrease from the previous month, and a 1% market share. Poker generated $5.2 million in revenue, a 4% month-over-month decrease, and a 1% market share.

The iGaming Ontario reporting does not include financial results from wagering on the government-owned Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation sports betting and online casino platform.

According to iGaming Ontario, there are now 48 licensed iGaming operators in the province and 82 gaming websites.

Mark is a long-time, seasoned journalist, as a writer and editor, working for several Toronto daily newspapers, then moving over to the digital arena, covering both sports and business. Over the past few years he moved over to the gaming arena, specifically covering the igaming industry in Canada for several platforms, as well as writing on sports betting.