Alberta’s iGaming Launch Outpaces Ontario’s 2022 Debut on a Per-Capita Basis
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Alberta may have a much smaller population than Ontario, but its regulated iGaming market is off to a considerably stronger start when measured on a per-capita basis.
According to the Alberta iGaming Corporation (AiGC), operators generated CA$122.1 million ($87 million) in non-adjusted gross gaming revenue (NAGGR) between the July 13 launch and September 30. Players wagered CA$2.89 billion.
By comparison, Ontario’s regulated market generated CA$162 million during its first 88 days, from April 4 to June 30, 2022. Ontario’s total was one-third higher, but it has about three times Alberta’s population and eight more reporting days.
After accounting for these differences, Alberta generated about 2.44 times Ontario’s gaming revenue per resident per day during its opening quarter. Moreover, Alberta’s September figures already approached the per-capita revenue levels Ontario reached toward the end of its first year.
Alberta Generates 2.4 Times Ontario’s Revenue Per Capita at Launch
Ontario had approximately 15 million residents when its regulated market launched in April 2022. Meanwhile, Alberta had about 5.1 million in July 2026, according to Statistics Canada estimates.
Those population figures put the revenue numbers into perspective.
During its initial reporting period, Alberta’s CA$122.1 million over 80 days translates to approximately CA$23.94 per resident. Meanwhile, Ontario’s CA$162 million over 88 days works out to about CA$10.79 per resident. Daily revenue per million residents is approximately CA$299,000 in Alberta versus CA$123,000 in Ontario.
For wagers, Alberta recorded about CA$566 in wagers per resident, more than double Ontario’s CA$272. The comparisons use broadly similar gaming revenue measures, based on wagers minus player winnings, although regulatory reporting differences remain.
Inflation also plays a role, with the figures separated by four years. However, even after adjusting to the 11.3% increase in Canadian consumer prices (according to the Bank of Canada), Alberta still has roughly twice the revenue per resident as Ontario’s initial population-adjusted revenue.
Alberta’s September Revenue Nearly Matches Ontario’s First-Year Q4 Rate
An even more revealing comparison comes when we compare Alberta’s September results with Ontario’s data near the end of its first year.
Alberta’s monthly revenue rose from CA$22.2 million in July to CA$43.3 million in August to CA$56.6 million in September. September’s revenue is about CA$0.37 per resident per day. Ontario, meanwhile, generated CA$526 million in the January-to-March 2023 quarter, or about CA$0.38 per resident per day.
In other words, Alberta’s third calendar month had already reached about 97% of Ontario’s population-adjusted daily revenue rate during its fourth reporting quarter.
That doesn’t mean Alberta is necessarily outperforming Ontario. By March 2023, Ontario had 44 operators, 75 gaming websites and more than one million active player accounts. During its first year, the market generated approximately CA$1.4 billion in gaming revenue and 1.65 million active player accounts.
Still, Alberta appears to have launched with a considerably higher revenue base relative to its population.
One possible explanation is that Alberta benefited from Ontario’s four years of experience with competitive regulated iGaming. Operators already adjusted to Ontario’s 2022 launch, with many transitioning from the gray market to the regulated system. In Alberta, many major brands had already established Canadian operations and experience transitioning to a similar regulatory framework.
Operator participation reflects the difference. Ontario ended its opening quarter with 18 operators, while Alberta launched with 15 and reached 24 by September 30. That matched Ontario’s operator count at the end of its second quarter.
Casino Dominates as Player Accounts Grow
Alberta’s early revenue per active player account also compares favorably with Ontario’s initial performance.
In September, Alberta reported average revenue per active player account (ARPPA) of CA$146, compared with Ontario’s CA$113 in its first quarter. Ontario reached CA$142 by the end of its second quarter and rose to CA$174 by Q4.
Alberta recorded 388,585 active player accounts in September, compared with the 492,000 Ontario reported during its entire opening quarter. However, the figures are not directly comparable. Alberta’s total covers one month, while Ontario’s covers a quarter. Neither represents unique players, as individuals can hold accounts with multiple operators.
Traditional online casino games accounted for 75.6% of Alberta’s September revenue, while live casino contributed another 4.9%. Combined, casino products generated approximately 80.5% of the total. Sports betting accounted for the remaining 19.5%.
Ontario users initially embraced betting at a higher rate. In June 2022, Ontario’s third live month, revenue was split 63% for online casino, 35% for betting, and 2% for peer-to-peer poker.
However, the online casino market share increased since then. In August 2026, the last available month, online casino’s share grew to 85%, betting represented 14%, and online poker had only a 1% market share.
Does Strong Revenue Mean Successful Channelization?
AiGC has presented its early results as evidence that Albertans are moving from unregulated gambling platforms to licensed operators.
Early results indicate that Albertans value the strong oversight and greater accountability offered by a regulated market,” AiGC CEO Dan Keene said in the Oct. 23 announcement.
Before legalization, Alberta estimated that approximately 70% of its online gambling market was captured by unregulated operators. Bringing players to regulated platforms was a central objective of the launch.
The initial figures are encouraging, but they don’t establish how much gambling activity has actually moved from unregulated operators to licensed platforms. Still, higher revenue could reflect customers switching from offshore sites, increased spending by existing players, or more gambling activity.
We can again look at Ontario for a more direct measure. By the end of its first year, the regulator cited an Ipsos study finding that 85.3% of surveyed players had used a regulated gaming site. That number has jumped to 91.1% in early 2026.
Alberta will need similar research to determine whether its early revenue growth translates into successful channelization.
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