Top Facts & Figures about Gambling in Canada

Gambling has been the favourite pastime for many people around the world. As long as it’s responsible and for fun, it can be quite an engaging activity that can make the luckiest individuals wealthy.

Canadians love their gambling activities, including casinos, sports betting, bingo, and more. More than 19 million of them have gambled or are actively gambling in land-based or online casinos and other gambling institutions. If you’re from Canada and you want to learn more about your country and its relation to gambling, read this article, as we’re going to explore some of the most exciting and significant facts about gambling in the Great White North.

The Demographics — 80% of Gamblers Are Male

Both men and women like to gamble, but there are far more male gamblers in the world than female gamblers, and Canada is not an exception to this rule. Namely, men make up 80% of all gamblers in Canada.

What’s interesting, however, is that, on average, women rely on their phones more than men to play online casino games. This makes Canada the only country in the world with such a statistic. In all other countries, males are also heavier mobile users when gambling.

Men Love Sports Betting, Women Love Bingo

The most popular gambling activity among men in Canada is sports betting, along with some table games in casinos. Women, on the other hand, prefer playing bingo in Canada.

Both sexes enjoy playing casino games. According to online casinos stats, online slots are the most popular option, as 72% of CA online gamblers said they play virtual one-armed bandits. Table and card games are slightly less popular than slots, as about 59% of online gamblers play them.

Most Canadian Gamblers Are Between 35 and 50 Years of Age

Statistics reveal that most people who gamble in Canada are between 35 and 50. That doesn’t mean young people don’t gamble at all. They are active as well, just now as much as those who are 35+.

There’s also a noticeable difference between the types of games players choose depending on their age. Younger players are looking for more active options that require more involvement on their side. On the other hand, older players enjoy passive and calmer games that they are comfortable with and can rest while playing, such as bingo.

There’s one type of game that is equally enjoyed by all kinds of players in Canada, and that’s online video slots. Still, it’s safe to assume that older players would select more passive and straightforward slots, while the younger players will look for feature-induced slots with plenty of symbols and detailed animations.

Online Casinos Are on the Rise

The popularity of online casinos has significantly increased in Canada lately, as Canadians have more than 2,000 unique casinos to choose from, with most of them averaging 96% Return to Player. RTP is one of the main reasons Canadians shifted away from land-based casinos that offer, on average, 60% RTP — considerably less than their online counterparts.

A Canadian Won One of the Largest Mega Moolah Jackpots

Mega Moolah is one of the most popular online video slots featuring a progressive jackpot. As it turns out, one of the largest jackpots reached in this game went straight to the hands of a Canadian. In fact, the last time we checked, the sum won by the Canadian player (who wished to remain anonymous) was the largest sum ever won in the game, and the largest sum ever won in an online video slot. The money that made the lucky player rich overnight was a whopping $20 million.

The Number of Land-Based Casinos in Canada Doubled

In 2002, the total number of casinos reported in Canada was 78. That number doubled in 2018, as the number increased to 147. Therefore, gambling options are more available to Canadians than they were two decades ago. If we take into account that there are also plenty of online casinos, it’s safe to say that the overall popularity of gambling increased significantly over time in Canada.

Ontario Has the Largest Revenue from Gambling

Ontario has been the leader in gambling revenue, with reported revenue of $3.8 billion. Quebeck is the second most popular territory with a revenue of $2.73 billion, and British Columbia is third with $1.2 billion. Mind you, these figures are a couple of years old, but all states showed a huge increase in the last couple of years. Still, Ontario will likely remain the #1 territory for gambling revenue.

Canadians Can Gamble once 18 or 19 Depending on the Territory They’re In

If you’re 18, it means you can legally gamble in some territories but not others. Canada doesn’t have a federal limit that applies to all regions. Instead, every territory decides for itself, but all of them have set the limit to either 18 or 19 years of age.

0.6% of Canadians Are Problem Gamblers

A problem gambler is a person with a fully developed gambling addiction. That number is relatively low in Canada, as only about 0.6% of all gamblers are officially labelled as problem gamblers. That’s much below the global average, thanks to the incredible support of this type of problem by Canadian health institutions.

On top of that, approximately 2.7% of Canadian gamblers are labelled as risky gamblers. Risky gamblers are simply people who have a somewhat uncalculated approach to gambling and take more risks than an average player, which can sometimes lead to gambling addiction.

Final Thoughts

Gambling evolves, and countries need to follow that evolution and do their best to minimize the negative impact of this activity. Canada has been holding things under control pretty well lately, and some amazing stats were a product of that. This activity's revenue and overall popularity increased over time while problem gambling is strictly controlled. Still, there’s always room for improvement, meaning the regulators have a lot of work to do to make those figures even more impressive.