Understanding Ontario Sports Betting Handle And Revenue

All About Ontario Sports Betting Handle And Revenue

In April 2022, Ontario sports betting and online casinos launched, but it wasn’t until late 2024 that monthly reports were available. Before then, iGaming Ontario, which administers legal, regulated gambling in Canada’s largest province, only released quarterly numbers.

OntarioBets.com brings you this guide to explain terms such as handle and revenue for mobile sports wagering and online casinos (also known as iGaming).

In 2024, sports betting – a category that also includes esports, props and novelty bets – accounted for more than $10.87 billion in handle, which is the industry term for total wagers accepted.

The companies offering Ontario sportsbook apps include major companies with name recognition across North America, including BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings and FanDuel.

However, there are also dozens of operators that are either Canada-based or ones that made their name primarily in Europe, especially in the United Kingdom.

You can place a wager with any of those Ontario sports betting companies. Anyone interested can sign up and use their smart phone, laptop or desktop computer to wager.

The iGO administers online gaming in the province but the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario regulates legal wagering in the province, offering the most robust gaming market in Canada. The iGO is a subsidiary of the AGCO.

The same applies for Ontario online casinos, which draw more wagers than sports betting. For instance, in 2024, online casinos accounted for more than $65 billion in wagers.

Ontario Sports Betting, September vs. August

	Total handle	Total revenue
September	$8.548B	$329.4M
August	$8.139B	$334.8M
Change	Up 5.0%	Down 1.6%

Online wagering in Ontario set a record for a second consecutive month in September. According to data from iGaming Ontario, the total handle for all types of mobile betting was $8.548 billion, up 5% from August’s $8.139 billion.

That was not the only record set. The handle for iGaming, or Ontario online casino apps, reached an all-time high of $7.343 billion in September, a 1.7% increase from the mark of $7.223 billion, also set in August. Likewise, operators of online slots and table games reported record revenues for the second straight month, as their $277.8 million in winnings was 3.7% better than the $267.8 million they generated in August.

Sports betting did not set any records in September. However, the $1.061 billion wagered on sports and other events jumped 38.7% from the $765 million handle from August. Bettors fared a bit better in a month-over-month comparison, as mobile sportsbook revenue was $46.5 million last month, a 22.8% decline from August’s $60.2 million.

Ontario online poker experienced declines in both handle and revenue. Poker players wagered $144 million in September, a 4.6% difference from the $151 million in the previous month, and revenue fell 25%, from $6.8 million in August to $5.1 million.

The declines in sports betting and poker revenue offset the record iGaming winnings in September. The total revenue for all online bets throughout the province was $329.4 million in September, a 1.6% decrease from $334.8 million collected in August.

Ontario Sports Betting Handle and Revenue FAQs

Sports betting and iGaming in Ontario launched in April 2022. Since then, it has become the largest regionalized gaming market in North America. The total market in the United States is larger than Canada but Ontario’s market has seen more handle than any state, with New York being the biggest legal market in the USA.

As of late 2024, iGaming Ontario issues numbers each month for wagering revenue and handle throughout the province. In the first two-plus years after the market launched, numbers were submitted quarterly. Monthly numbers are released 2-3 weeks after the end of each month.

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario regulates legal wagering in the province. Its subsidiary, iGaming Ontario, administers legal online wagering for sports and casino games.

The money placed by bettors using online devices – such as desktops, laptops or mobile phones – is referred to as mobile sports betting handle.

Handle is simply the amount of wagers accepted each month. Anyone wishing to place a bet must be physically located within Ontario’s borders to wager. Revenue is the money that operators keep after they pay out winning bets. The province offers Ontario online poker in a peer-to-peer format as well as sports betting and casino games such as slots and other card games.

Author

Steve Bittenbender

Steve is an accomplished, award-winning reporter with more than 20 years of experience covering gaming, sports, politics and business. He has written for the Associated Press, Reuters, The Louisville Courier Journal, The Center Square and numerous other publications. Based in Louisville, Ky., Steve has covered the expansion of sports betting in the U.S. and other gaming matters. He shares his expertise on OntarioBets, among other sites.