Online gambling is almost a $10bn monthly market in Ontario these days, but August was the lowest-revenue month since March as Ontario sportsbooks suffered.
In terms of actual gambling activity, it was the second-biggest month on record. iGaming Ontario’s latest reporting shows that gamblers placed $9.74bn in cash wagers in the 31-day period, down 1.5% from July’s all-time record of $9.88bn but above every other month since the market opened in April 2022.
That total handle represented an almost 20% year-over-year increase from August 2025.
But operators’ total gross gaming revenue dipped below $400m for the first time in five months, coming in at $396.3m. That was the lowest total since March’s $387m, although it was still 18% more than licensed Ontario sportsbooks and casinos took in the same month last year.
The number of active player accounts also dropped significantly in August, down to around 1.21 million. That was the smallest number since September 2025 and down 11.5% from July 2026’s record of more than 1.36 million.
Those active accounts produced an average of $328 in gross gaming revenue for operators.
Ontario sportsbooks suffer worst month in a year
With the FIFA World Cup over, the Toronto Blue Jays struggling, and the new football and NHL seasons yet to begin, Ontario sportsbooks suffered notably:
- Sports wagering was at its lowest level in a year at $843m in cash wagers, the first time it had been below $900m since August 2025.
- Sports betting accounted for just 9% of total Ontario online gambling activity on licensed commercial platforms last month.
- Ontario sportsbooks made just $54.4m in gross gaming revenue from sports betting, the lowest total since September 2025.
- Although August 2026’s sports betting handle was up 10% year over year, sports wagering revenue was down 10% in the same period.
It’s worth noting that a significant number of the 50 authorized operators currently doing business in Ontario do not offer sports betting, while virtually all of them offer online casino even if they are best-known as a sportsbook.
Online casino revenue keeps setting new records
Speaking of online casino, that vertical in Ontario keeps going from strength to strength.
In contrast to sports betting, online casino handle set a new monthly record of $8.78bn in July and held firm at the same total in August, while iCasino revenue climbed to a new all-time high of $336.3bn. The GGR total for online casino was up almost 26% year over year, as that vertical continues to be by far the biggest moneymaker for licensed Ontario iGaming operators.
Online casino accounted for 90% of total Ontario iGaming handle and 85% of total GGR in August.
Meanwhile, peer-to-peer poker wagering was at $122m for the month, resulting in $5.6m in revenue for the operators that offer it. Those games remain limited by Ontario’s current liquidity limits, which mean that players in Ontario can only compete against other players in Ontario. That could change in the future; a Supreme Court hearing in early October will discuss the idea of allowing cross-border play.
Ontario closing in on $3bn in all-time iGaming tax revenue
Year to date, Ontarians have wagered more than $75bn on regulated iGaming platforms, while licensed Ontario iGaming operators have taken a total of $3.16bn in gross gaming revenue.
Ontario’s 20% tax rate on iGaming means the provincial government has reaped $632m in tax revenue from the market so far in 2026 and not far short of $3bn since the province first began offering regulated online gambling.
New operators continue entering Ontario
At the time of writing, the regulated Ontario iGaming market hosts a total of 50 authorized operators (including the government-owned Ontario Lottery and Gaming, which reports separately). The 49 iGaming Ontario-managed operators run a total of 84 online casino, sports betting, and/or poker sites.
Even four and a half years into Ontario’s market, big names continue to make their debut in the province.
- DAZN Bet launched its Ontario sportsbook and casino on June 30
- Hard Rock Bet made its Canadian debut by going live in Ontario on July 22
- Fanatics followed suit by rolling out Fanatics Casino in the market on Sept. 1
The Ontario iGaming numbers will likely show big increases when September’s data is released in late October, as the new football season got into full swing.
