This April, Ontario celebrated its first full year of regulated iGaming. The state opened its iGaming market on April 4th, 2022, and since then, Ontairains have been quick to embrace the world of online casinos and gambling. Spin Genie Ontario recently conducted a survey to assess how successful online gambling has been in the state.
How Much Has Ontario Embraced Gambling?
Most of the survey's numbers showed that Ontarians had responded positively to online gambling. Of those surveyed, 38% had gambled in the last year, which is around two in five. 51% had not gambled at all, while 11% had only played free games.
Of the 38% of people that had played, two-in-five (43%) had been gambling for less than a year, while nearly a quarter, 24%, had only been gambling for the last six months. This shows that there are a lot of uptakes to gambling in the state, something which will no doubt please both the lawmakers and the casino operators.
Sticking With Recognised Brands
Some of the most interesting statistics regarding online gambling in Ontario were around the operators that players feel comfortable using. The state-run OLG.ca performed well in comparison to others. Three-quarters of the players said they were aware of OLG.ca, while 51% said they had played there.
This will be alarming to other operators that didn’t get quite as much recognition. The next most popular site was Bet365, at just 12%.
Results suggest that one of the biggest factors for this is trust. Seven in ten said they were aware OLG.ca is fully regulated, while the majority believed other sites were not. OLG is state-run, and this is a big part of its selling factor. Users clearly feel more comfortable and trust the state to regulate the site correctly.
Interestingly, though, three in ten of those surveyed said that they were not using any of the brands that were presented to them. While this does not suggest that all of them are using unregulated sites, it does indicate that there could be an unregulated presence in the country that is getting some attention.
Spin Genie Ontario Conducted The Survey
Most Attractive Features
In the survey, participants were also asked what the most important factors when choosing which operator they were going to use were. The three factors that were deemed as the most important were initial deposit incentives, bonus and reward programs, and the selection of games. The first of these was rated the most important, with 37% of those asked placing it first on their list.
The games and betting options that were the most attractive to players were lottery draws and online raffle games. Online slots came in fourth on the list, just behind sports betting and wagers. This is surprising when compared to some other countries where slots dominate online gambling. However, Ontario is still a young market, and there is time for developers to work how to crack it.
Perceptions Of Online Gambling
North American markets have slowly been embracing online gambling, and Ontario is seen as somewhat of a litmus test for other states in Canada. The survey results suggest that the first year of online gambling has been mostly well-received by Ontario-based players.
When asked whether they supported the existence of regulated internet gambling in the state, 55% of players said that they did. A similar number, 53%, also said that they felt legalising online gambling had made it safer.
Ontarians Have Responded Well
What Do These Numbers Tell Us?
With a year in the books, these numbers suggest that Ontarians have responded well to the introduction of online gambling. Issues regarding trust, unregulated sites, and brand awareness feel as though they are growing pains, and as the market matures, established brands will be able to get a stronger position.
The influx of new gamblers, especially as the year has progressed, will be hugely encouraging for operators and legislators. Reports also show that the country’s market generated C$1.4bn ($1.04bn) in revenue in its first year, making it one of North America’s top markets.
About The Study
Spin Genie Ontario completed the survey among 1,501 Ontario adults ages 19 and above. All those who participated in the survey are members of the online Angus Reid Forum.
The Angus Reid Forum is Canada’s most well-respected online public opinion community. The survey was conducted between February 27th and March 3rd, 2023.
