Ontario's Online Gambling Market Hits a Record CA$9.9 Billion in Wagers for July
Ontario's regulated online gambling market posted its biggest month on record in July 2026, with players wagering a total of CA$9.884 billion (about US$7.02 billion) across licensed online casino, sports betting, and poker sites, according to figures reported by Canadian Gaming Business and Casino.org. That handle was up 4% from June, and total gross gaming revenue for the month reached CA$413.6 million, up 3% month over month.
Where the growth came from
Online casino games remained the dominant product in Ontario's market, accounting for CA$8.78 billion in wagers, up 6% from June, and generating CA$330.4 million in revenue — roughly 80% of the province's total iGaming revenue for the month. Sports betting handle came in at CA$992 million, down 4% from June, generating CA$77.8 million in revenue, while peer-to-peer poker contributed a smaller CA$116 million in handle and CA$5.3 million in revenue. Reporting on the results noted that the FIFA World Cup, which ran from June 11 to July 19, had already driven a surge in sportsbook activity that carried into the July figures even as betting volume cooled slightly from June's tournament-fueled peak.
| Product | July handle | July revenue | Change vs. June |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online casino | CA$8.78B | CA$330.4M | Handle up 6% |
| Sports betting | CA$992M | CA$77.8M | Handle down 4% |
| Peer-to-peer poker | CA$116M | CA$5.3M | Handle down 8% |
Active player accounts rose 3% to 1.365 million for the month, with average revenue per active player of CA$303, across 48 licensed operators running 83 active gaming websites. Reporting also flagged Hard Rock Bet's entry into the Ontario market during the period as a notable development — the brand's first international expansion outside the United States, tied to the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Ottawa, which opened in July 2025.
Why it matters
Ontario remains the largest regulated online gambling market in Canada and one of the most closely watched in North America, since it operates a competitive multi-operator model rather than a single provincial monopoly. A record month reinforces the province's position as a benchmark for how a regulated open-market iGaming system performs at scale, and the continued dominance of online casino revenue over sports betting in the mix is a data point US regulators and operators weighing their own market structures are likely to note as more states consider legalizing online casino gaming alongside sports betting.