A lot can happen in a year in the Canadian iGaming Market and in 2025 there were some big developments. This news article looks at the biggest iGaming stories in Canada from 2025.
There was a lot that happened in 2025 in both the iGaming and land-based market including issues with FINTRAC, the Bodog banishment, the passing of the iGaming Alberta Act, Ontario's permission to pool, and more. They are all covered below.
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Issues with FINTRAC Web Portal
This story came to light early in the year when licensed online casinos in Ontario couldn't use the financial transactions and reporting centre's web portal to file suspicious transaction reports. The issue happened after a cyberattack and reporting wasn't available from March 2024 through March 2025.
iGaming Ontario (iGO) is developing its own system for filing suspicious transaction reports and it is hoped a rollout will happen in 2026.
FINTRAC also made headlines in 2025 when numerous gaming entries challenged them in court over unfair fines for disputed compliance issues. These included the British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC) and the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority (SIGA).
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Bodog Blocked From Operating in Manitoba
In January 2025, the Canadian Lottery Coalition (CLC) member lotteries took the Caribbean-based Bodog to court. They alleged that the operator was offering illegal gambling in the province of Manitoba. They won the case in May, when a judge granted an application for a permanent injunction and ordered the offshore operator to cease operating in Manitoba.
The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) also called for media outlets and social platforms to stop promoting Bodog and other unregulated online gambling and sports betting sites in Ontario in May of 2025.
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iGaming Alberta Act Passed
The iGaming Alberta Act was passed in May 2025 making it official that regulated online gambling is coming to the province. In June, Minister Dale Nally stated that regulations and other developments would be announced in due course, but six months later there has been little in way of announcements.
The current estimated date for the launch of Alberta's regulated iGaming market is mid 2026, but there have been no specifics released. For now, Albertans have Play Alberta, the provincially run and only licensed online casino in Alberta. Offshore operators accepting players from Canada are also available but they don't offer provincial regulation.
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Sports Betting Advertising Rules
The Senate passed a bill to establish national guidelines on how sports betting sites can advertise across Canada. Bill S-211 has already had a reading and is making progress towards possibly being passed in 2026. Proposals include a ban on ads during games and preventing in-game promotions in betting apps.
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Ontario Legally Clear to Expand Peer-to-Peer iGaming Across Borders
This was a big news story in November when a court approved that Ontario could legally expand peer-to-peer iGaming such as online poker and daily fantasy sports outside of the province. An appeal has been lodged in the Supreme Court by three provincial lottery corporations.
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Ontario's iGaming Market Continues to Grow
Ontario's regulated iGaming market continued to grow in 2025. In November 2024 the total monthly figures released by iGO was $7.46 billion and by November 2205, this figure had reached $9.33 billion which is a 25% increase.
During this period the gross gaming revenue increased from $292 million to $406 million which is a 39% increase. The number of active players in the province grew from 1.0 million to 1.3 million which is more than 28% growth.
Online casinos in Ontario dominate the figures with 48 licensed operators running a total of 82 website as per the official iGaming Ontario operator database.
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