Gambling in Ontario: Casino vs Sportsbook (Current Trends)
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Ontario is one of the most recently launched gambling markets in the world. It has been open to casino games, sportsbooks, and poker since last year, so the preferences of players in this region are still quite unclear. The recent report from iGaming reports allows us to compare different online betting segments available in the province.
GAMING PREFERENCES IN FIGURES
Ontario seems to be one of the most active Canadian provinces where gambling activities are regulated. Just within a quarter (April-June 2023), Ontarians placed $14 billion in wagers.
The division between different types of casino entertainment was as follows:
- $11.6 billion to casino games, including video slots, table games, live dealer games, and peer-to-peer bingo.
- $2 billion on sportsbook, including proposition and novelty bets, as well as sports and esports.
- $350 million on poker games.
Those wagers resulted in $545 million in revenue, and this is quite an impressive number that shows how interest in gambling in Ontario increased for this first year of operations. The revenue for April-June 2022 when the market was just rolling out was $165 million.
Currently, there are more than 900,000 active players in Ontario. This spike in gaming activity raises concerns in the government, which decided to work more towards customer protection and responsible gambling norms.
RESPONSIBLE GAMBLING: CURRENT SITUATION AND FUTURE ACTIONS
Ontario appears to be one of the most active gambling markets in Canada, and with high gaming activity a necessity for more effective customer protection norms appears.
Therefore, the government of Ontario province provides $31 million annually for customer protection and dealing with problematic gambling. $25 million is spent on different treatment programs, and $6 million are used for education and prevention programs.
However, there are currently 40+ licensed game providers that refine their portfolios to make them more targeted at players from this region, so experts expect even further growth of gambling popularity in Ontario. Thus, the current governmental support of responsible and healthy gaming might not be enough.
Sportsbook vs Casino Entertainment
Providers of sports betting activities have faced heavy criticism from the media for its intensive advertising of sportsbook on TV and sports events. Another reason for criticism was the engagement of professional athletes in advertising activities.
Thus, Sports leagues and broadcasters were under pressure to reduce the advertising of sportsbook, as young viewers were exposed to the promotion of gaming activities. As a result, the government in Ontario considers a prohibition of star advertising of betting activities.
At the same time, casino games have not been under such severe criticism. Some experts note that this type of betting entertainment might affect the increase of harmful gaming behaviors even more than sportsbook due to its accessibility 24/7. While sports betting events are still limited by the events calendar, video slots, and other casino entertainment can be played anywhere and at any time.
You might also be interested in the results of the first year of operation of the Ontario licensed market.
