The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has released the results of a recent study involving the iGaming habits of Ontario players. The Ipsos study was conducted during the month of February.
The research showed that 86.4% of Ontario’s online players chose to wager on regulated iGaming sites, up by nearly one percentage point when compared to data from 2023. The recent study looked at gambling activity within the Canadian province during a three-month span.
Online gaming debuted in the province two years ago. Attorney General Doug Downey briefly discussed how the market has grown since the launch.
He commented, “Since its launch in April 2022, Ontario’s iGaming model has been recognized internationally for championing work to displace the unregulated online gaming market.
“This made-in-Ontario, regulated market will continue to inspire global innovation, while ensuring a safer landscape for players and businesses alike.”
AGCO CEO and Registrar Karin Schnarr explained the importance of maintaining high standards for player safety and security for Ontario’s iGaming market.
She said, “In Ontario, regulated sites are held to high standards of game integrity, data security and player protections, including having significant responsible gaming safeguards.
“While it’s encouraging to see most participants are choosing regulated gaming options, those who are not are unfortunately risking far more than their wagers.”
During the past two years, the Ontario Government has worked closely with AGCO and iGaming Ontario (iGO) to register eligible private gaming operators. To date, the province has 47 registered iGaming operators to offer local players access to 77 regulated sites.
iGO Executive Director Martha Otton commented on its collaboration with the local government by saying, “iGaming Ontario joins our operators, government, and AGCO in celebrating our success in attracting Ontarians to the safer, regulated iGaming market.
“We will continue to work in lockstep with the AGCO to enable Ontarians to play with confidence.”
