Top 6 Canadian Digital Gaming Industry Stories of 2024

Posted on: January 1, 2025, 09:56h. 

Last updated on: January 1, 2025, 09:58h.

Mark Keast Read More

Expertise: Canadian Gaming, iGaming, Las Vegas, Sports Betting, NFL, Boxing, UFC.

There were plenty of storylines that played out on the Canada digital gaming industry news front in 2024, so much so that it’s challenging to boil it all down to a Top 6. But we took a shot.

New Gaming Regulatory Regime in Alberta

Alberta’s progression towards a competitive, regulated, Ontario-style igaming model really came into focus at the Canadian Gaming Summit in Toronto in June. A speech there by Dale Nally, Minister of Service and Red Tape Reduction, Province of Alberta, confirmed the government was working on a market launch.

Operators like PointsBet Canada, Betway, PENN, and NorthStar have already said they will jump in once the market goes live. There’s been a few hiccups in the rollout, at the provincial government cabinet level. But leaders in the industry we have spoken to peg a launch somewhere in mid 2025.

Continued Market Growth in Ontario

Ontario saw continued growth in 2024 – now at 50 licensed operators and 82 gaming websites.

The last market performance report for Ontario was issued in October, covering the second quarter (Q2) of the 2024-25 fiscal year (July 1 to Sept. 30, 2024).

Total wagers of $18.7 billion in Q2 (does not include promotional wagers, or bonuses) was a 1.6 per cent increase over the last quarter and a 31.7 per cent increase over Q2 of 2023-24.

Total gaming revenue in Q2 was $738 million, a 1.7 per cent increase over Q1 and a 35.4 per cent year-over-year increase.

According to Deloitte’s Economic Contributions of Ontario’s Regulated iGaming Market – Year 2 report, released at the Canadian Gaming Summit, Ontario’s regulated competitive igaming market sustained nearly 15,000 jobs, and added a combined $1.24 billion to federal, provincial and municipal government revenues.

New AGCO Ad Standards Make Their Debut

In February, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) released guidance for the industry regarding its revised advertising standards, prohibiting the use of athletes in internet gaming advertising and marketing in Ontario.

Standards were strengthened to restrict the use of celebrities “who would likely be expected to appeal to minors,” the AGCO said in a statement. Operators shall not, “Use active or retired athletes, who have an agreement or arrangement made directly or indirectly between an athlete and an operator or gaming-related supplier, in advertising and marketing except for the exclusive purpose of advocating for responsible gambling practices.”

The new restrictions came into effect Feb. 28.

And as an add-on to that, in March, according to a poll, most Canadians were looking for significant changes in sports betting advertising. Seven in ten, or 68 per cent, wanted current team players and celebrities banned from sports betting ads, according to a Maru Public Opinion survey.

Canadians were also looking for less ads during live sports games/events – two thirds, or 66%, say commercials should not be allowed during those times. A majority – 59% – think a nationwide ban on sports betting ads needed to be implemented right away.

The survey was conducted in February among a random selection of 1,534 Canadian adults who are part of Maru Voice Canada, an online market research community.

Poll on Player Participation

The Ontario private igaming market marked its second-year anniversary in April. To help mark that, the AGCO, along with iGaming Ontario, released a IPSOS study showing that 86.4% of players in Ontario were now participating in igaming on regulated sites (over the preceding three months when they were asked).

An estimated 70% of online gambling occurred on unregulated sites before the regulated market was launched, the AGCO said in a news release.

The IPSOS study was conducted in February 2024. This represented an increase from the 85.3% of igaming participants who reported playing on regulated sites in a similar study conducted in 2023.

Ontario Superior Court Upholds Gaming Model

In May, the Ontario Superior Court dismissed an application brought forward by the Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke (MCK) challenging the Ontario government’s move to allow online gaming in the province.

MCK had been a vocal opponent of C-218, the bill that decriminalized new forms of sports gambling in Canada, that became legislation in June 2021. MCK had been arguing the changes to the way gaming was managed in Ontario were illegal and unconstitutional.

The Ontario Superior Court found that iGaming Ontario’s model was consistent with the Criminal Code.

“We have always been confident in our model and are pleased that the court has ruled in our favour, and that Ontarians can continue to play with confidence in our regulated igaming market,” said Martha Otton, Executive Director of iGaming Ontario.

Ontario’s model meets the requirements and contributes to the public good by protecting players, their data and their funds, while helping to fund priority public services in Ontario, and bringing well-paid, high-tech jobs and economic development to Ontario.”

MCK’s legal challenge asserted that iGaming Ontario was not “conducting or managing” the gaming that takes place on private operators’ sites. Instead iGO was allowing operators to conduct and manage their business, with a portion of revenues going to the provincial government.

The Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke has been in the online gaming industry for 25 years, licensing online gaming operators, on behalf of the Mohawks of Kahnawake.

Legislative Traffic Jam Delays National Ad Bill

A new national advertising legislation (Bill S-269) sits with the Canadian House of Commons gummed up over a privilege debate involving access to unredacted documents, going into 2025.

The bill, sponsored by Senator Marty Deacon, calls for the Canadian Heritage Minister (presently Pascale St-Onge) to develop new national standards on gaming advertising around what goes into those ads, when they run, and the volume of advertising that’s out there. The Minister would begin a dialogue with provincial lawmakers, First Nations, and gaming regulators to set those advertising standards.

Bill S-269 cleared the Senate earlier this month and awaits First Reading in the House of Commons, the first step in a last chapter towards getting Royal Assent for the bill, where it then becomes law.

But with the legislative log jam, plus a national election scheduled for October 20, and the constant threat of a non-confidence vote that would bring down the minority Liberal government under Justin Trudeau sooner, who knows if the bill will become law.

The House of Commons reconvenes Jan. 27, so that’s a story to keep an eye on.