Canada’s iGaming market has become the world’s third largest by online gambling revenue, but the country still lacks a national self-exclusion register and unified licensing framework, according to new research published by CasinoCanada.com.
The report estimates that Canada’s online gambling market generated CAD13.15bn in 2025. It argues that the country’s provincial regulatory model allows players who self-exclude in one jurisdiction to continue gambling through operators based in other provinces or on offshore websites.
The analysis draws on data from iGaming Ontario, provincial regulators, Blask’s 2025 iGaming Landscape Report and peer-reviewed public health research. It concludes that Canada’s constitutional framework has resulted in separate provincial iGaming regimes rather than a single national system.
According to the research, estimated offshore gambling activity outside Ontario ranges from 49% in British Columbia to 93% in Saskatchewan, with Alberta and Manitoba both estimated at 88%. The report also states that offshore platforms grew by 40% year-on-year in 2025, compared with 23% growth for licensed operators.
The report also cites a study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal in January 2026, which found that gambling-related contacts to Ontario’s ConnexOntario helpline increased by an estimated 198% following the opening of the province’s regulated iGaming market in 2022. The increase was reported to be concentrated among boys and men aged between 15 and 44.
CasinoCanada.com noted that Ontario’s regulated iGaming market has achieved channelisation of 91.1%, while the province’s BetGuard self-exclusion system received more than 500 registrations during its first two weeks. However, the report argues that the absence of a national self-exclusion system continues to leave gaps in player protection across Canada’s regulated iGaming landscape.
Eugene Ravdin, Head of PR for CasinoCanada, said: “Record wagers and a near-200% rise in helpline contacts are happening at the same time, which tells you market growth and player protection are not the same thing. The tools that work internationally – GAMSTOP, Spelpaus, BetStop – all cover the whole market under a single registration.
“Canada has nothing like it. A national register wouldn’t just protect players, it would also help licensed operators compete against offshore sites. This is a commercial argument as much as a moral one.”
