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Ontario Sports Betting: Canadian Province Generates $35.6B During First Year Of Operations

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Jeff Hawkins
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Jeff Hawkins Sports Editor

Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.

All posts by Jeff Hawkins
Sports Editor

Updated4 hours ago on April 23, 2024

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onterio one year anniv sports betting (1)

Revenue figures for legalized sports betting in Canada’s most populous province were a bit surprising.

If not staggering – and safer.

In the first year of legalized operations, Ontario totaled approximately $35.6 billion in total bets, according to iGaming Ontario.

Martha Otton: ‘I Want To Thank The Players’

A government agency, iGaming Ontario released the data, including $1.4 billion in total gaming revenue, Tuesday, the first anniversary of legalized internet gambling going live in Ontario.

“Every player who places a wager with a legal operator is doing so in a safe, regulated, and protected environment,” iGaming Ontario Executive Director Martha Otton said via press release. “I want to thank the players, our 40-plus operators and our government partners for placing their trust in us.

“Together we can help this market continue its strong performance.”

Prior to regulating the online sports wagering market, Ontario lawmakers estimated 70 percent of online wagers were executed with “grey” operators. Those sources were deemed “grey” because some were licensed in another country or province, but not in Ontario.

“Ontario’s igaming market has displaced the pre-existing unregulated market and made Ontario a recognized leader internationally in this industry since its launch in April 2022,” Ontario Attorney General Doug Downey said in a press release. “We are truly proud of this strong, responsible, competitive online gaming model.”