Ontario: Igaming off to a slow start, but lawyers say growth potential is significant

Friday, November 18, 2022 4:12 PM
  • Ontario
  • Julius Melnitzer , Law Times

The $6.04 billion in total wagers recorded by iGaming Ontario in its second quarter of operations has been disappointing to some. Still, others say the online market’s potential has yet to materialize.

“Some players say these numbers are short of expectations, but we won’t have a real sense of the market’s true potential until we have stats for 12 months,” says Cameron MacDonald, the Toronto-based co-chair of Borden Ladner Gervais LLP’s national sports and gaming law practice

Ontario officially launched its online gaming market on April 4. The first quarter, ending on June 30, saw total wagers of just over $4 billion, meaning that the market grew 48 percent in Q2. But critics note that Ontario’s performance pales beside the numbers from the US, where per capita spending on online gaming is much higher.