Why Ontario’s iGaming Review Matters in 2025
Ontario has had a regulated gambling market, consisting of online casino play and sports betting, since April 2022. It has grown into a multi-billion-dollar industry, with the sector set to exceed $10 billion in 2025 alone.
Thus, that’s why a mid-2025 review is significant.
The current gaming minister, Stan Cho (official title: Minister of Tourism, Culture, and Gaming), is launching the review to ensure the success of the state is not only sustainable but also player-friendly.
This review could alter Ontario’s iGaming framework at a time when it’s the most successful gambling province.
Key Findings from the Minister’s Review
The Ontario casino review for 2025, conducted by the gaming minister, includes several key points.
Below are some of the findings and the objectives:
- Record Growth: There’s over $10 billion in revenue, with more than $3 billion from the online space. There are more than 50 regulated sites.
- Limiting Red Tape: The iGaming review was partially launched to find ways to streamline the province’s regulations and eliminate unnecessary red tape. The goal is to emphasise efficiency. “The review will assess opportunities to enhance efficiency and reduce red tape across both online and land-based markets,” Cho said. “The ultimate goal is to ensure the whole gaming sector delivers strong economic outputs for Ontarians.
- Changes in Structure: A significant change was the separation of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission from iGaming Ontario. The iGaming Ontario Act was passed in May 2025, making iGO a standalone agency. This change is designed to enable the iGO to move quickly while the AGCO handles regulation.
- Consulting the Experts: The Ontario Gaming Minister said that the review will include stakeholders and experts involved in online casinos in Ontario and more. It won’t be limited to just politicians. The review will consider the pros and cons from operators and other professionals to determine the best possible path forward.
- Compliance/Costs: An early concern was that compliance costs were high. Operators have stated that the growing cost of compliance, which includes reporting requirements, navigating oversight by the iGO and AGCO, and other related expenses, is a significant concern. They said that it is eating into profits. The review revealed that streamlining compliance could free up resources and benefit everyone in the industry. This can be achieved by eliminating duplicate processes and coordinating oversight more effectively.
Impact on Players
How does this review impact you, the player?
The review aims to provide a better experience.
Right now, Ontario iGaming is competitive. If the regulations ease up, expect more features and even new sites to pop up.
Additionally, the review places a strong emphasis on a safe and regulated environment.
According to a study by IPSOS, nearly 84% of players in Ontario play on legal, regulated sites.
These players benefit from secure payment options, responsible gambling tools, verified fair play, and more.
If regulations ease up, this could lead to players looking more toward regulated operators, which would be a safer system.
We also can’t forget about the savings operators would have. These could be redirected to provide value to players. This could be new rewards, better odds for Ontario sports betting, more betting markets, and more.
There are already laws in place to protect players from certain advertisements and Ontario iGaming has a massive focus on responsible gambling.
Should these changes take hold, there could be more choices for players as operators continue to provide new products.
Impact on the Industry
The Ontario iGaming review appears to be advocating for a more business-friendly approach. The most beneficial aspect of the Ontario gambling regulations is the streamlined compliance.
Right now, operators deal with both the iGO and AGCO. By changing that, this would free up resources that could be used toward a better customer experience, including offerings, technology changes, and better odds.
As mentioned, operators have said that the compliance costs eat into profits, but these changes would help with that and allow for more operators to enter the market.
The province is also working on doing away with unlicensed sites, which will help make everything more even for the licensed outlets.
The goal seems to be an innovation-friendly environment that’s more streamlined for operators of all sizes.
How Ontario Compares to Other Markets
When comparing Ontario to other Canadian provinces, there’s really nothing to compare. Ontario has dozens of licensed sites with over $3 billion in gross gaming revenue online. As for the other provinces, there’s just one lottery-run platform.
When compared to the United States, Ontario is still massive. From April 2024 to March 2025, Ontario is at about $3.2 billion CAD, which is about $2.3 billion USD.
For the calendar year of 2024, New Jersey ($2.39 billion) and Michigan ($2.4 billion) exceeded that, but it’s higher than Pennsylvania ($2.18 billion).
Looking Ahead: 2025 and Beyond
As the iGaming review continues and the recommendations take shape, there will certainly be some changes. Cho has said there would be quick wins, such as changes to the current inefficiencies. Thus, by 2026, there could already be plenty of improvements, but the government’s response will be necessary.
As we move forward, Ontario iGaming will continue to expand beyond the 1.6 million accounts and find new ways to provide value to everyone.
The Ontario Casino review 2025 is seemingly looking toward ensuring iGaming in the province is better for everyone, from the sites themselves, to shareholders, and to players.
Right now, there’s already a lot of “pros” with many licensed sites and record-breaking revenues.
For the operators, streamlining compliance and reducing unnecessary costs will lead to more innovation and competition.
From here, be sure to follow our coverage of this review as we learn more about how Cho, operators, stakeholders, and professionals reshape the Ontario online gambling market.
