Canada’s gambling sector just posted numbers that would make even the most optimistic industry analyst stand up and take notice. This September, the industry took wagers totalling $8.55 billion, compared to $6.54 billion in the same month in 2024.
That’s not a typo, nor is it hyperbole. It’s a statement of fact. Superficially these figures of course, represent humongous economic growth and the creation of new jobs, of which industry insiders should be excited about. On a deeper level though, it tells us something fundamental about the current cultural attitudes prevalent in the country.
In this article we take a closer at how and why this has happened, before speculating briefly as to what it might mean going forward. To find out our thoughts, read on…
How Has This Happened?
In many ways, September 2025 represents the perfect storm for the Canadian gambling industry. Throughout the past two decades, the country has lagged far behind other western and commonwealth nations in its approach to, in particular, the remote sector.
In the United Kingdom for example, online gambling has been legal and regulated for the better part of twenty years. In Canada, for the majority of that time, there were only a handful of license holders who were allowed to accept online wagers from the public.
In recent years, certain provinces, like Ontario, have relaxed their approach and granted licences to a larger audience of suppliers. The relaxed stance has resulted in some less reliable operators trying to take advantage of Ontarians, making review sites like Casino.ca all the more important as they not only help their readers to find the best casino sites in Ontario, but also flag the worst ones. In the coming months, we are expecting to see the national government update legislation and implement regulation that will bring Canada’s remote sector kicking and screaming into the 21st century.
All of this has meant that month by month, online gambling revenues have been steadily increasing. However, the main driver behind those phenomenal wager figures for September is sports betting. Like online casino gambling, sports betting is growing month on month in Canada and naturally, September is a huge month for wagers as it sits at the start, or close the start, of most major global sports calendars.
Why Has This Happened – Online Gambling Legalisation?
Two reasons, one that is naïve and idealistic and another that is cynical, but most correct – we’ll let you decided which is which.
Money. It’s what makes the world go round. This economic edict, which is the one that almost every country on the planet lives by, is based on the principle that rules and regulations are a barrier to the most important thing in the world – profits. It’s why public housing in the UK and USA became largely privatised, creating a huge economic boost for small percentage of people in the 1980s and 1990s, which eventually gave way to the housing crisis.
It’s also why, some would say, governments around the world are giving up their legislative bans on gambling and opening up online sports wagering and casino games. Conversely, there are those that would argue that whilst money is of course at play, the largest single factor behind the legislation of online gambling in the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada is public pressure – it’s what the people want.
What Happens Next?
Well we could speculate. We could play the role of Margaret Attwood, one of the country’s most famous authors, and imagine an Oryx and Crake style dystopian future. Or, we could just look at the UK, a country that took the same decision as Canada is taking today, just twenty years ago.
If the example over the pond is anything to go by, we will see in two decades, a Canadian online gambling industry that is a financial behemoth. But, one that avoids its taxes by being based offshore. In truth, what we can expect is similar in terms of revenues, but hopefully, we can avoid the same issues that beset the British online gambling industry, simply by learning the lessons that teach us. Perhaps, after all, there was prudence in letting other countries plunge ahead, so that we could sit back and watch, soaking it all in, so that when the time came, we could create our own, world leading online gambling industry here in Canada.
