INSIGHT CANADA MARKET CANADIAN GAMING ASSOCIATION
Paul Burns President and CEO Canadian Gaming Association
Paul Burns is President and CEO of the Canadian Gaming Association and was instrumental in setting up the association in 2005. His focus is on critical areas such as responsible gaming and legislative and regulatory issues and he is also policy advisor to the Ontario Minister of Consumer and Commercial Relations.
https://canadiangaming.ca/ pburns@canadiangaming.ca
On April 4, 2024, Ontario’s iGaming market will turn two. In making the decision to launch a regulated marketplace, the Ontario Government understood that it would require strong, independent regulatory oversight with tough standards, rigorous vetting and licensing of companies, and effective and intensive compliance monitoring and enforcement. It also helped that Canada’s Criminal Code was adjusted to make single-event sports wagering legal.
Tere was enormous stakeholder support (provinces, gaming industry, professional sports, law enforcement, to name a few) when the Safe and Regulated Sports Betting Act (Bill C-218) was before the Senate of Canada in 2021 to legalise single-event sport wagering. Legal sports betting provides provinces with the necessary tools to deliver a safe and legal option to Canadians while enabling economic benefits to flow to licensed gaming operators, communities, and provincial governments. Tere isn’t a single province that hasn’t moved – quickly – to take advantage of this through their respective lottery corporations, and others like Ontario and Saskatchewan are working to implement different models to offer products to their customers.
Canada’s gaming industry has undergone a massive transformation thanks to passage of the Bill C-218 and Ontario’s decision to licence and regulate online gaming. Tis evolution has been driven by several key factors: launch of new regulated markets and products, technological innovation, shifts in public perception of gaming, consumer demand for new and engaging gaming channels, and innovation occurring in a globalised, competitive market.
After several quarters of growth and new operators entering the Ontario market and ramping up their activities, we are now able to see the true picture of Ontario’s iGaming market emerge. With annualised iGaming GGR (gross
When it comes to other provinces, it is worth
remembering that the uniquely Canadian requirement of
“conduct and manage” differs
from province to province, which means every province
determines how the activity of gaming will be managed within its borders.
gaming revenue) appearing to be approximately $2 billion annually, Ontario has benefited from strong investment, job creation, and economic development impacts that go beyond government revenues.
When it comes to other provinces, it is worth remembering that the uniquely Canadian requirement of “conduct and manage” differs from province to province, which means every province determines how the activity of gaming will be managed within its borders. Ontario’s model works for Ontario, and it would be a mistake to assume it can be copied and pasted anywhere else.
However, the Canadian Gaming Association (CGA) believes the introduction of a regulated iGaming (casino and sports) market will allow other provinces to reset their priorities for the gaming industry by creating a fair and level playing field for all sectors that:
l Encourages competition, l
l
Incentivises capital investment, job creation, and economic growth,
Does not solely rely on the collection of government revenue as its measure of success, and
l
Adequately deals with the grey market by requiring operators to become licensed.
To date only Alberta has announced plans to create a regulatory model – and it is too soon to speculate as to when that market may open and what it will look like. British Columbia and Québec are also mentioned frequently but there has been no official communication from provincial governments about moving in the same direction as Ontario.
Keep in mind that unlike the U.S., Canada has a robust and entrenched grey market. Te competition has been here for a long time. Te CGA contends that the only way for provinces to deal with this is to create their own regulated
To date only Alberta has announced plans to create a regulatory model – and it is too soon to speculate as to when that market may open and what it will look like. British Columbia and Québec are also mentioned frequently but there has been no official communication from
provincial governments about moving in the same direction as Ontario. Keep in mind that unlike the U.S., Canada has a robust and entrenched grey market. The competition has been here for a long time.
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