The Canada digital gaming industry news in 2024 featured numerous storylines, making it quite difficult to condense everything into a Top 6. However, we made an attempt. 

 

New Gaming Regulation System in Alberta 

Alberta’s advancement toward a competitive, regulated igaming model similar to Ontario’s became particularly evident at the Canadian Gaming Summit held in Toronto in June. A talk given by Dale Nally, Minister of Service and Red Tape Reduction, Province of Alberta, affirmed that the government was preparing for a market introduction. 

 

Companies such as PointsBet Canada, Betway, PENN, and NorthStar have indicated they will enter as soon as the market launches. There have been some bumps in the rollout at the level of the provincial government cabinet. However, industry leaders we have consulted estimate a launch around the middle of 2025. 

 

Sustained Market Expansion in Ontario 

Ontario experienced ongoing expansion in 2024, reaching 50 licensed operators and 82 gaming sites. 

 

The most recent market performance report for Ontario was released in October, detailing the second quarter (Q2) of the 2024-25 fiscal year (from July 1 to Sept. 30, 2024). 

 

Total bets of $18.7 billion in Q2 (excluding promotional wagers and bonuses) reflected a 1.6 percent rise from the previous quarter and a 31.7 percent rise compared to Q2 of 2023-24. 

 

Total gaming revenue in Q2 reached $738 million, reflecting a 1.7 percent rise from Q1 and a 35.4 percent increase compared to the previous year. 

 

As per Deloitte’s Year 2 report on the Economic Contributions of Ontario’s Regulated iGaming Market, unveiled at the Canadian Gaming Summit, Ontario's regulated competitive igaming sector supported close to 15,000 jobs and contributed a total of $1.24 billion to government revenues at the federal, provincial, and municipal levels. 

 

New AGCO Advertising Standards Are Introduced 

In February, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) issued guidance for the sector concerning its updated advertising standards, banning the inclusion of athletes in online gaming advertisements and promotions in Ontario. 

 

The AGCO stated that standards were enhanced to limit the use of celebrities "who are likely to attract minors." Operators must not "Utilize active or retired athletes who have a direct or indirect agreement or arrangement with an operator or gaming-related supplier in advertising and marketing, except solely to promote responsible gambling practices." 

 

The updated restrictions took effect on February 28. 

 

Additionally, in March, a poll indicated that a majority of Canadians desired substantial changes in sports betting advertisements. According to a Maru Public Opinion survey, 68 percent, or seven out of ten, desired a ban on current team players and celebrities in sports betting advertisements. 

 

Canadians expressed a desire for fewer advertisements during live sports events, with two-thirds, or 66%, stating that commercials should be banned during these periods. A significant portion – 59% – believes that an immediate nationwide ban on sports betting advertisements should be enforced. 

 

The survey was carried out in February with a random sample of 1,534 Canadian adults belonging to Maru Voice Canada, an online market research community. 

 

Survey on Player Involvement 

In April, the Ontario private igaming market celebrated its second anniversary. To commemorate that, the AGCO, in collaboration with iGaming Ontario, published an IPSOS study revealing that 86.4% of players in Ontario had been engaging in igaming on regulated sites (during the three months prior to their inquiry). 

 

According to a news release from the AGCO, it is estimated that 70% of online gambling took place on unregulated sites prior to the launch of the regulated market. 

 

The IPSOS research took place in February 2024. This reflected a rise from the 85.3% of igaming users who indicated playing on regulated platforms in a comparable study carried out in 2023. 

 

Ontario Superior Court Maintains Gaming Model 

 

In May, the Ontario Superior Court rejected a request submitted by the Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke (MCK) that contested the Ontario government’s decision to permit online gaming in the province. 

 

MCK had strongly opposed C-218, the legislation that legalized new types of sports wagering in Canada, which was passed in June 2021. MCK had been contending that the modifications to how gaming was regulated in Ontario were both illegal and unconstitutional. 

 

The Ontario Superior Court determined that iGaming Ontario’s framework aligned 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 argument claimed that iGaming Ontario was not "overseeing or administering" the gaming occurring on private operators' platforms. Instead, iGO enabled operators to run and oversee their business, with a share of revenues directed to the provincial government. 

 

The Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke has been involved in the online gaming sector for 25 years, authorizing online gaming operators for the Mohawks of Kahnawake. 

 

Legislative Gridlock Hinders National Advertising Bill 

A recent national advertising law (Bill S-269) is stalled in the Canadian House of Commons due to a privilege dispute concerning access to unredacted documents, extending into 2025. 

 

The legislation, backed by Senator Marty Deacon, requires the Canadian Heritage Minister (currently Pascale St-Onge) to establish new national guidelines on gaming advertisements regarding their content, timing, and overall volume in circulation. The Minister would initiate a conversation with provincial legislators, First Nations, and gaming authorities to establish those advertising standards. 

 

Bill S-269 passed the Senate earlier this month and is now pending its First Reading in the House of Commons, marking the initial step in the final stage toward receiving Royal Assent for the bill, after which it will become law. 

 

However, due to the legislative gridlock, a national election set for October 20, and the ongoing risk of a non-confidence vote that could topple Justin Trudeau's minority Liberal government earlier, it remains uncertain whether the bill will be enacted. 

 

The House of Commons will reconvene on January 27, so that's a story to watch closely.