CasinoCanada Report Details Offshore Share of Canadian Online Gambling Activity
TL;DR — CasinoCanada.com research finds offshore operators handle CAD712m in Canadian wagers versus CAD484m for licensed sites, despite serving only 33.53% of players. Stake leads brand value at CAD2.5bn. Provincial offshore shares range from 49% to 93%, tied to product limits and higher concentration among at-risk users.
SCCG Take — Fragmented provincial rules create structural advantages for offshore operators serving higher-risk players. Coordination on product offerings is required to lift channelisation outside Ontario.
New research from CasinoCanada.com shows offshore gambling operators maintain a substantial footprint in Canada. The analysis draws on August 2026 data from Blask and finds that 33.53% of Canadian online gamblers use unlicensed platforms. These offshore operators handled CAD712m (US$512m) in wagers, exceeding the CAD484m (US$348m) processed by licensed operators who attract 66.47% of players.
Stake ranks as the country’s most valuable online gambling brand with an estimated valuation of CAD2.5bn (US$1.8bn) despite holding no provincial licenses. Four offshore operators appear among the ten highest-valued gambling brands active in Canada. As reported by iGaming Future, the figures illustrate that offshore volume outpaces licensed volume even with a smaller player base.
Provincial Disparities in Regulated Market Capture
Channelisation rates differ sharply by jurisdiction. Offshore activity accounts for around 93% of online gambling in Saskatchewan, 88% in Alberta and Manitoba, 83% in Quebec, and approximately 49% in British Columbia. Ontario’s regulated market has achieved higher channelisation, setting a benchmark the remaining provinces struggle to match under separate frameworks.
Product rules contribute to the gap. Ontario requires player balances in Canadian dollars through authorised providers, which prevents licensed operators from offering cryptocurrency-based products. Prediction markets also sit outside existing provincial gambling rules.
Concentration Among Higher-Risk Players
A 2026 Toronto Metropolitan University study of more than 1,800 bettors in Ontario and Alberta found men under 30 reported higher gambling-related harm and anxiety than the broader population. Most indicated responsible gambling messaging had little or no effect on their behaviour.
Norwegian account-level data referenced in the report shows problem gamblers represent 2.1% of players but generate 46% of offshore turnover. Eugene Ravdin, Head of PR at CasinoCanada, said: “Ontario has proved that regulation can work at scale, and it deserves the credit it gets. The problem is that the rest of Canada is being measured against a number it has no realistic route to matching, province by province, with none of it joined up. Offshore operators aren’t winning on trust or on brand – they’re winning on products licensed operators are structurally not allowed to offer, marketed to exactly the group the data says is already at most risk. Until that gap closes, better messaging on its own won’t bring players back.”
Canadian regulators will need coordinated approaches to product parity if channelisation rates are to improve beyond Ontario’s example.
Reporting: iGaming Future
Generated by SCCG’s automated editorial system from published source reporting. SCCG Management holds editorial responsibility.
Fragmented provincial rules hand offshore operators structural edge with higher-stakes players despite smaller user base.
This is what broken channelisation looks like: unlicensed operators outpacing licensed volume because provinces can't align product rules or harm frameworks. Ontario shows coordination works — the rest of Canada proves the cost of going it alone. SCCG works in every regulated and emerging market; we know what moves the needle.
- Offshore handles more wagers (CAD712m) than licensed sites (CAD484m) with just 33.53% of players
- Provincial offshore shares range 49–93%; product limits and crypto gaps drive the spread
- Problem gamblers (2.1% of users) generate 46% of offshore turnover per Norwegian data
SCCG angle: SCCG connects licensed operators to compliance, payments, and safer gambling tech partners who help close product gaps and retain at-risk players legally. We have worked across every Canadian province and understand what Ontario did right — and how to replicate it where rules still lag.
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