The sole provider of legal sports betting in Quebec says that online sales shot up during its fiscal first quarter, even as the company and other government-owned gaming corporations are competing for customers in their own backyards against offshore operators.

Loto-Québec’s first-quarter report shows that sports betting generated around $8.3 million in revenue from April 1 to June 27, an increase of 7.7% from last year’s first quarter.The government-owned company also said there was a 33.3% increase in online sports betting sales compared to last year, when single-game wagering was not yet legal in Canada.

“Single-event betting, which was added to the gaming options in August 2021, is very popular with players and strongly encourages live betting,” Loto-Québec said in a press release last week.