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Casino Gambling Statistics in Canada
Casino gaming represents a significant share of all gambling activities in Canada. Online and land-based venues enjoy considerable attention from CA gamblers. Gambling net revenues have increased year on year across all provinces of the country.
Ontario stands out from the rest as it accounts for most of the casino revenue generated in Canada. Specifically, in 2020, the province reported revenues of CA$3.8 billion. British Columbia and Alberta came in second and third with CA$1.8 billion and CA$1.1 billion, respectively. Other provinces declared revenues of less than CA$1 billion for the same years. The chart below perfectly details this.
The gambling statistics on net casino income reveal a similar story, although the gap is somewhat narrower. Ontario once again comes out on top with CA$1.6 billion in income. British Columbia and Alberta firmly occupy the second and third positions, generating CA$983 million and CA$804 million, respectively. Other provinces such as Nova Scotia, Northwest Territories and Prince Edward Island have a much smaller range, between CA$26 million and CA$182 million. This line graph illustrates the divide in income:
Casino Games Gambling Statistics in Canada
As far as casino games are concerned, slots are no doubt the most important game type at casino venues online and offline. Digital venues, such as the Stake.com casino enjoy tremendous popularity because of their huge slot collections, and the same applies to land-based venues. The gambling statistics in Canada show that the number of slot games in the country has exponentially increased since the mid-90s. In 2019, the country recorded more than 67,000 individual games.
The distribution of slot machines also follows a similar pattern to the income division. Ontario is the province with the most games – 23,750 in 2019. Alberta and British Columbia online casinos are home to around 13,700 each. More interesting is that the allocation of slot machines per 100,000 adults is much closer between the provinces.
In effect, this suggests that interest in slot gaming is high even in less populated regions, such as Saskatchewan. This is not surprising consider the huge influx of the online casinos in Canada in recent years. You can see the full statistics on gambling in Canada below:
Video Lottery Terminals in Canada
The gambling statistics regarding video lottery terminals are also quite interesting when compared to the figures above. Specifically, Quebec comes in first in terms of net revenue, disclosing CA$853 million in 2020. Alberta is placed second with CA$545 million.
Interest in VLTs is distributed between the different provinces. Quebec featured the most VLT venues in 2019, approximately 1750. Alberta came in second with 820. It is interesting that Alberta has only 46% of the VLT locations that Quebec has, but those venues generate 63% of the revenue. This is somewhat intriguing, as it indicates that Alberta’s VLT locations produce more revenue per player. Ontario is not represented in these statistics on gambling in Canada.
Internet Gambling Statistics in Canada
As far as internet gambling is concerned, the statistics are not too clear. This likely has to do with the fact that there is not much official information on the matter. Despite being a major gambling market, the gambling laws in Canada are nothing if not confusing. Since there is no government oversight in many regions, it is difficult for any institution to gather details regarding income, revenue, players’ habits, etc.
Currently, British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec casinos online are the only ones with a functional regulatory system. Therefore, they have the most extensive and reliable long-term online gambling statistics, drawn from data provided by licensed operators.
Since 2019, licensed gambling operators in Canada have been reporting a drastic increase in net revenue. British Columbia has the most prosperous gambling sites in Canada, which lead in terms of net revenue, disclosing CA$421 million in 2021. Ontario and Quebec rank fairly equally with CA$295 million and CA$244 million for the same year.
These Internet gambling statistics are somewhat surprising considering that Ontario generally leads the nation in all other gaming-related ventures. This could signal that BC is set to become a much more important province for the development of iGaming.
Horse Racing Statistics
Horse racing is another popular form of gambling in Canada. We have reliable data for all provinces between the years 2010-2019. As expected, Ontario once again is featured prominently, totaling CA$832 million in horse racing total handle for 2019.
British Columbia and Alberta remained close in the race until 2016, when BC boosted the total handle. In 2019, British Columbia had a CA$36 million lead with CA$142 million total handle, compared to Alberta’s CA$106 million.
Quebec experienced a sudden increase in revenues between 2012 and 2013, doubling the horse racing total handle from CA$28 million to CA$53 million. 2014 was also quite favorable, increasing the handle to CA$79 million. Until 2019, Quebec’s horse racing revenues have gravitated around this figure.
Charitable Gambling Between 2010-2019
Unfortunately, the statistics on charitable gambling in Canada do not paint the same happy picture as the other charts above. Since 2010, there has been little movement in the income of charitable gaming events.
Most provinces report primarily the same incomes year on year. Alberta is first by far, stating incomes of CA$347 million in 2019. Further down in the statistics is Ontario, boasting only CA$159 million. Other provinces are hardly noteworthy, reporting charitable gaming incomes between CA$16 million and CA$51 million.
Conclusions
It can be clearly observed that legal gambling in Canada is on the rise. Whether we look at online gambling statistics or land-based gaming figures, both state that the average Canadian gambler plays more every year. Besides, thanks to casinos, such as the Roobet Crypto Casino online, the cryptocurrency gambling has seen a stable rise, as well.
Ontario is the undisputed leader in most categories, reporting the most revenue and income. British Columbia and Alberta online casinos are typically neck and neck. The remaining provinces have little to write about. It is clear where current and upcoming operators will focus their efforts in the future.
Popular Questions
If you still have questions about gambling statistics in Canada, please check out the FAQ section below. We have gone through all the major questions by Canadians, presenting you with only the most important details.
SOURCES:
https://datastudio.google.com/u/0/reporting/3f20dc8b-6e47-420d-8144-a15b18faabc9/page/p8VkB
