Offshore Firms Still Command Large Chunk of Ontario iGaming

The Ontario iGaming market recently celebrated its third birthday. Since launching online gambling on April 4, 2022, the province has quickly become one of the most attractive gaming markets in North America and perhaps globally. Despite that, however, recent figures show that unregulated gaming continues to be a problem.

Most Players Choose Regulated Gaming

The latest iGaming report, which was commissioned by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) and iGaming Ontario, shows that unlicensed gambling remains strong despite the efforts to channel players toward regulated operators.

While most of the online gambling continues to be done with licensed companies, the market share commanded by their offshore counterparts broadened in 2025.

Per the 2025 report, 83.7% of all respondents said that they have gambled with licensed operators in the past three months. At the same time, 16.3% of all respondents said that they had gambled exclusively on unregulated sites in the same period.

These figures show a slight increase in the number of players who prefer the unregulated market. For comparison, the 2024 report shows that only 13.6% of respondents had played with unregulated companies in the past three months. At the same time, 86.4% of the respondents wagered on regulated websites.

The 2025 Offshore Gaming Figures Exceeded Those in 2023 Too

Perhaps more concerningly, the 2025 figures also show an increase in players choosing to wager on unregulated websites from 2023. Back then, 85.3% of respondents said they had wagered on a regulated website against 14.7% choosing the unregulated market.

However, these figures still highlight the efficiency of regulation since the 2022 report shows that a staggering 70% of all online gambling was occurring on unregulated sites.

In any case, the AGCO reminded players that unlicensed websites offer none of the safeguards that their legal counterparts do. It therefore urged players to pick licensed operators, which follow Ontario’s high standards of game integrity and player protections.

In the meantime, the AGCO reiterated its commitment to addressing illegal gambling websites in Ontario and increasing awareness about the benefits of playing with regulated companies.

Ontario iGaming on the Rise

In other news, the province recently published data about the growth of regulated iGaming, in the past 3 years. Ontario now boasts some 49 iGaming licensees, which operate a total of 84 gaming platforms.

At the same time, the gaming revenue in Ontario continues to increase every year. For context. Ontarians wagered CAD 1 billion in April 2022, resulting in CAD 43.9 million in non-adjusted GGR. This February, on the other hand, the handle came at CAD 7.1 billion, resulting in CAD 280.1 million in non-adjusted GGR.