New data from the Canadian Gaming Summit, which was held in June, showed that Quebec is losing a lot of money by sticking to its monopoly model. Canada has changed its approach to regulated iGaming since 2022 by accepting licensing systems. However, Quebec is one of the few provinces that has refused to change its approach.
During the summit, many industry experts looked at the data and realized that Quebec’s current stance on regulated iGaming is affecting its potential tax revenue. With online casinos now popular in Canada, experts are wondering why Quebec is not taking advantage of the attention to generate significant revenue from the sector, the way other provinces like Ontario have. For players, they can access these casinos from the comfort of their mobile devices if they have more local options instead of looking offshore. For the province, they can generate more tax revenue from local operators. It is a win-win situation for both players and the Quebec government.
At the Gaming Summit, during a panel session involving Troy Ross of TRM Public Affairs, Rubicon Strategy’s Patrick Harris, and Ariane Gauthier, spokesperson for Quebec Online Gaming Coalition (QOGC), it was revealed that Quebec is losing about $1.5 billion annually to unregulated gambling sites. They also noted that it was important for Canada’s gaming rules to expand past Ontario and be applicable across the country.
Unlike Quebec, Ontario switched from a provincial monopoly model to a licensing system. This change has caused its iGaming sector to grow rapidly in the past 3 years. In 2023, the revenue from Ontario’s regulated iGaming sector reached $1.04 billion. This change has also led to increased investment and job opportunities. In this year’s summit, Stan Cho, Minister for Tourism, Culture, and Gaming, stated that the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) is expected to generate revenue worth up to $6.82 billion, while iGO (iGaming Ontario) could generate up to $3.7 billion in revenue.
The success of Ontario’s iGaming model puts it at the forefront of iGaming regulation in Canada. It serves as a model that many provinces, such as Quebec, that haven’t changed their approach to iGaming regulation, can adopt. The QOGC is also pushing for change in Quebec’s iGaming regulation.
The coalition isn’t pushing to dismantle the current system; instead, it is aiming to work together with the government to create a more competitive and well-regulated iGaming market. The QOGC was formed in 2023 and includes industry leaders like Flutter, Entertain, and DraftKings. The main goal of the QOGC is to encourage Quebec’s government to adopt a regulatory model like the one used in Ontario’s open iGaming Market. It believes that the province could earn up to $300 million through licensing alone.
In the summit, Ariane Gauthier noted that the little increases in Loto-Québec’s revenue haven’t kept up with the economy’s inflation and growth rate. The QOGC, while also using data, questioned Loto-Québec’s claims that Ontario’s regulated gaming market has affected its land-based gaming revenue.
As the coalition continues its push for better regulation of Quebec’s iGaming market, there is a feeling that the provincial elections expected to be held in October 2026 might change the gaming rules. Although the governing Coalition Avenir Québec trails in recent polls, Gauthier has stated that the QOGC is in talks with all political parties. She also believes that as the market evolves over time, Quebec’s gaming landscape will eventually change as well.
