🦫 Canada🇨🇦: one in three players bets with offshore operators, while betting volume is significantly higher than on local sites

🦫 Canada🇨🇦: one in three players bets with offshore operators, while betting volume is significantly higher than on local sites

Blask analyzed data from 301 gambling brands in the Canadian market.

🎯Player distribution:

⬆️licensed sites — 66.47%

🔽offshore operators — 33.53%

🎯Betting volume:

🔽licensed sites — USD 348 million

⬆️offshore operators — USD 512 million

➡️ The figures vary significantly across provinces. In Ontario, for example, approximately 91% of betting activityflows to offshore operators, while in British Columbia, where local company BCLC operates the PlayNow platform, the figure is only 49%.

Why? Because each province has its own rules, with 10 separate regulatory systems across the country. For example, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario requires players to hold their funds only in Canadian dollars and with authorized financial providers, effectively excluding legal cryptocurrency transactions. This difference is reflected in the figures above.

➡️ Forecasts: this is another rapidly growing segment. Offshore activity increased by 161% year over year, as this segment operates largely outside local regulatory frameworks.

➡️ For reference: the University of Toronto examined the well-being of players in Ontario and Alberta. Players under 30 reported gambling-related harm 1.5 times more frequently, while their anxiety levels were 44% higher than average. At the same time, 60% of respondents said that reminders about responsible gambling have virtually no effect on their behavior. Problem gamblers account for only around 2.1% of all players, but they generate 46% of offshore betting activity.

➡️ Industry portal CasinoCanada concludes that improving responsible-gambling awareness is not sufficient: offshore operators gain an advantage by offering services that licensed operators are prohibited from providing, primarily targeting higher-risk groups. Regulators will therefore need to find a balance between competitiveness, regulatory compliance and consumer protection.

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