Key Takeaways
- PointsBet expects to launch its online casino and sportsbook in Alberta before the end of 2026.
- The Australian iGaming operator reported mixed results in Ontario in a six-month update, with active users and online casino up, but sports betting and adjusted EBITDA down significantly.
- PointsBet will soon serve a 48-hour suspension in Ontario after settling with the provincial regulator over alleged monitoring and reporting violations relating to banned NBA player Jontay Porter.
Australian iGaming operator PointsBet is yet to debut in Alberta, but it expects to join Canada’s second regulated online gambling province before the end of the year.
In an investor presentation accompanying its results in H1 of the 2027 Australian fiscal year, the sports betting company said that it remains on track to launch both online sports betting and online casino in Alberta in 2026.
“The Alberta market expands our addressable market and leverages our existing platform and content providers while extending our strong customer experience to another Canadian jurisdiction,” said the operator.
PointsBet currently operates in just two markets. It offers sports betting in its home country and both sports and casino in Ontario’s regulated iGaming market.
The operator said as far back as August 2025 that it intended to launch both verticals in Alberta on day one of that province’s market, and it was one of the very first operators to register with Alberta Gaming, Liquor, and Cannabis (AGLC) when that process opened in early 2026. However, it is yet to get off the ground in the province.
Canadian Gaming Business understands PointsBet will announce its Alberta launch in the coming weeks. When it does, it will compete with more than 30 other operators running more than 50 licensed sites in the province, as well as the government-owned Play Alberta platform.
PointsBet Canada’s users grow, but EBITDA plummets
In the meantime, PointsBet’s interim report for the six months ended Sept. 30, 2026, detailed how its Ontario-only Canadian operations are progressing.
PointsBet Canada’s revenue was A$20.9m (C$20.5m as of Oct. 30), up 3% in Canadian dollars on the prior corresponding period ended Sept. 30, 2025. The operator noted that the Australian dollar strengthened 10% against the Canadian dollar between April 1 and Sept. 30, 2026, which reduced its reported revenue by more than $2m.
PointsBet’s active Canadian users grew 18% to almost 73,000.
The Canadian business reported a gross profit of C$10m between April and September, up 3% on the same period last year. However, PointsBet Canada’s earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization were in the red, as its statutory segment EBITDA loss grew 82% to C$6.7m.
In comparison, total company revenue fell 16% and gross profit declined 15%.
PointsBet Canada’s casino and sports pictures look very different
There was a stark difference between PointsBet’s casino performance and its sports results in Ontario.
Online casino handle grew 21% to C$592.9m and iCasino net win rose 9% to reach C$15.0m, up from C$13.7m in the same period in 2025.
That was likely boosted by the fact that, near the start of the reporting period, PointsBet Canada migrated its online casino platform to Bede Gaming’s technology. The operator chose the supplier after a competitive selection process, and PointsBet Canada CEO Scott Vanderwel said Bede’s expertise “positions us strongly in Ontario and prepares us for future growth across additional Canadian markets.”
The revamp included a wider range of content from top suppliers, as well as player engagement features and other capabilities. In Friday’s update, PointsBet teased further upgrades including a new loyalty program.
In contrast, PointsBet Canada’s sports betting handle plummeted 32% in Canadian dollars to C$83.4m, and sports wagering net win fell 11% to C$5.7m, although the operator’s gross and net win margins in sports improved slightly.
The company said that while mass-market performance in sports betting in Ontario was consistent, it was offset by churn in a small number of high-staking clients between April and June 2026.
All told, online casino accounted for almost 88% of PointsBet’s total Ontario handle and around 73% of its total gaming revenue in the province, with sports representing 12% and 27% of handle and net win. That split is closely aligned with the wider trend in the regulated Ontario iGaming market.
PointsBet to serve 48-hour Ontario suspension
Although exact dates have not yet been confirmed, PointsBet Canada will soon have to take its online sportsbook and casino offline in Ontario for 48 hours.
On Oct. 20, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) confirmed that it reached a settlement with the operator over alleged violations relating to bets on banned NBA player Jontay Porter. The AGCO initially planned to suspend PointsBet Canada for five days, alleging that the operator showed a “systemic failure” to properly detect or report suspicious betting patterns on the performances of Toronto Raptors two-way player Porter.
The NBA banned Porter for life in April 2024 after an investigation found he gave insider information to bettors regarding his injury status and manipulated his own performances to ensure that player prop wagers cashed in. He subsequently pleaded guilty to the federal U.S. charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
PointsBet appealed the five-day suspension and ultimately agreed to a reduced two-day ban. That suspension is the first of its kind for a regulatory violation in a Canadian regulated online gambling market.
