With more people using mobile devices than ever before, online gaming has been steadily growing around the world. And Canada is certainly seeing its fair share of growth. Let’s take a closer look at the rise of the industry in the North American country.
How big is the online gaming industry in Canada?
Currently, Canada is ranked number eight in the world for countries that gamble online the most. More than 19.3 million Canadians actively gamble at online sites. The Canadian online gaming industry is worth around $31 billion, which includes $17 billion spent on Canadian online gambling platforms and $4 billion spent at offshore online casinos. Like elsewhere in the world, those numbers are growing each year.
What is the legality of online gambling in Canada?
Although most forms of gambling are legal in Canada, online gambling is still a bit of a grey area. All of Canada’s provinces are self-regulated. Other than in Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, and Saskatchewan, which have launched their own gambling sites, it is illegal for Canadian companies to operate online casinos or poker rooms. Ontario offers multiple online casinos, lotteries, and sports betting sites, and the province accounts for 43% of all of Canada’s gaming revenue. Meanwhile, Quebec has seen a huge growth in lottery sales, and its online casinos are growing by around 2% each year. However, even in provinces where Canadian online casinos are not available, it is perfectly legal for Canadians to access an offshore online casino or an online live casino where players play games like roulette and blackjack in real-time with real dealers.
Why is online gaming continually becoming more popular in Canada?
The widespread adoption of mobile devices, along with high-speed internet services and 5G technology development, has largely contributed to the rise of online gaming in Canada. Also, online games load quicker than ever before, withdrawals are faster than ever, and platforms accept a broad range of payment options, all of which have contributed to the industry’s growth.
Do men and women play online casino games in equal measure?
According to a 2020 study by CasinoValley, 80% of all Canadian gamblers are male. Breaking those figures down, it is interesting to see that while men gamble online the most, women use their phones to access online gaming sites more than their male counterparts. Canada is the only country in the world where women use phones for gambling more than men. 55% of female gamblers use their phones to play their favorite games.
What are Canadians’ favorite gambling activities?
According to a 2016 study by CGA Summit, online sports betting is the most popular online gambling activity in Canada, closely followed by slot games and then table games like blackjack, keno, roulette, and baccarat. Sports betting is the most favored online gambling activity by men, while women enjoy playing luck games like bingo the most. Other popular online gambling activities in the country include the lottery and daily fantasy sports.
Canadians Are Turning Away from Land-based Casinos
Although brick-and-mortar casinos are still popular in Canada, online casinos are becoming the more popular choice for Canadians wanting to play casino games. Not only do online casinos have the advantage of being accessible anywhere at any time. They also give out higher-percentage wins. Canadian online casinos register around 96% wins, while land-based casinos return less than 60% wins. It will be interesting to see how land-based casinos fare in the future, as one thing is for sure: the growth of online gaming in Canada will undoubtedly grow even more in the next few years.
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