Ontario iGaming Hits C$9.52bn Handle Record in January 2026

Ontario’s regulated iGaming market posted a new all-time monthly wagering record in January 2026, with licensed operators processing C$9.52bn in cash wagers, a 21.4% increase from the C$7.85bn recorded in January 2025, according to iGaming Ontario’s (iGO) latest market performance report.

Record Handle, Strong Revenue

The January total marks the fourth consecutive month in which Ontario’s handle has exceeded C$9bn, a run that began in October 2025. Non-adjusted gross gaming revenue (NAGGR) for the province’s 48 active licensed commercial operators reached C$401.5m in January, up 22.2% year over year from C$329m. That figure fell 6% short of December 2025’s all-time monthly revenue record of C$425.4m, a month buoyed by NFL activity and other major sporting events.

The January figures extend a run of sustained growth. For the full calendar year 2025, Ontario’s licensed operators generated C$4.04bn in NAGGR, up 34% from 2024, on total cash wagers approaching C$98.3bn.

Casino Dominates, Sports Betting Dips

Online casino gaming accounted for C$8.18bn of January’s C$9.52bn in total handle, or 86% of all player spending. iCasino NAGGR reached C$308.9m, a 33.7% year-over-year increase that significantly outpaced the 25.6% rise in casino wagering volume over the same period. Casino now represents 77% of total market revenue by NAGGR.

Sports betting produced C$1.18bn in handle and C$86.7m in revenue during January. That revenue figure was 5.8% below January 2025’s C$92m, though iGO noted that January 2025 was an unusually strong month for Ontario sportsbooks, with revenue not exceeded again until November. Peer-to-peer poker generated C$156m in handle and C$5.9m in revenue, continuing its position as a minor contributor while liquidity remains restricted to Ontario-only play.

Player Engagement Keeps Climbing

Active player accounts reached a new record of 1.326 million in January 2026, up 19.9% from 1.106 million in January 2025. Average revenue per active player account (ARPPA) rose 2% year over year to C$303. Those figures follow a strong 2025 overall: Ontario closed the year with 1.267 million active accounts, up 24.5%, and average revenue per account at a record C$334, up 27%.

A joint study by iGO and the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) found that 83.7% of Ontario players surveyed between January and February 2025 reported using a regulated gambling site, a substantial improvement from the low channelisation rates seen at the market’s April 2022 launch. iGO’s target for the 2025-26 fiscal year is to push that rate to 85%.

New Entrants and Alberta on the Horizon

iGO’s January report covers 48 licensed and active commercial operators running more than 80 approved gambling websites. It does not include activity on the government-run Ontario Lottery and Gaming (OLG) platform. DAZN received an AGCO licence in January to launch DAZN Bet in Ontario later in 2026, positioning the sports streaming platform as a new competitor in the province’s online sports betting segment.

Ontario’s figures continue to draw attention from operators preparing for Alberta’s forthcoming regulated iGaming launch, currently targeted for Q2 2026. Alberta would become Canada’s second province to adopt an open competitive licensing structure, and several operators active in Ontario are already preparing to enter or transition from grey-market status. Ontario’s four years of market data, including its channelisation rate and the pace of NAGGR growth, is functioning as a reference model for how the Alberta framework might develop.

Since market launch in April 2022, total operator revenue across iGO-managed platforms has surpassed C$10.2bn, generating an estimated C$2.04bn in cumulative provincial tax revenue at Ontario’s 20% revenue-share rate. January 2026 alone added approximately C$80m to provincial coffers.

Source: iGaming Ontario