As of today, the only regulatory entity for online gaming in Québec is Loto Québec. A new coalition aims to change that.
A team of online gaming operators has come together to launch Québec Online Gaming Coalition, committed to working with the Québec government and local stakeholders to develop a new regulatory framework for the province. Those operators are Betway, Bet99, DraftKings, Entain, Flutter, Games Global, and Rush Street Interactive, which are partnering with Apricot Investments to form the coalition.
Their objective, according to a statement, is to address “growing concerns about consumer safety, responsible gaming, and advertising, and to substantially increase government revenues based on a new licensing regime for qualified private investors.”
A recent Leger Marketing survey revealed that two-thirds of Quebecers are in favor of regulating private online-gaming operators by establishing a licensing and tax system in the province, while 64 percent agree that the additional revenue should be used to fund various government priorities.
Seventy-one percent of Quebecers believe that the provincial government cannot block private online-gaming operators. And 75 percent said tax revenues generated from a regulatory framework should be used to fund social-responsibility programs like addiction prevention.
Ontario, of course, went live with its online-gaming regulatory regime in April 2022 and recently reported $35.6 billion in total wagers during its first year, with $1.4 billion in total gaming revenue from more than 40 operators having jumped aboard with licenses and over 70 gaming sites.
The coalition has indicated they would like to build on the Ontario model.
According to an Ipsos study conducted this past March, 85.3 percent of players in Ontario played on regulated sites during the first year of the province’s regulated-market model.
