Ontario's regulated online gambling market has reached a significant milestone. According to a new study commissioned by iGaming Ontario and the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), 91.1% of Ontarians who gamble online reported doing so on regulated sites — up from 83.7% the previous year. That's a 7.4 percentage point jump in a single year, and the trend line has been consistently upward since the market opened in April 2022.
The flip side: only 8.9% of respondents reported gambling exclusively on unregulated sites, down sharply from 16.3% the year before. For a market that launched with the explicit goal of steering players away from grey-market operators and toward properly regulated, consumer-protected alternatives, the numbers represent genuine progress.
What Is Channelization, and Why Does It Matter?
Channelization is the gambling industry's term for the share of overall gambling activity that flows through regulated, licensed channels versus unregulated operators. Ontario's iGaming framework was built on the premise that a competitive, well-regulated market would naturally draw players away from offshore and unregulated sites — but that assumption only holds if the numbers actually move.
They have. Since launch, Ontario has gone from a heavily fragmented market where offshore operators dominated, to one where the regulated ecosystem handles the vast majority of online gambling activity. The 2026 Ipsos results suggest that the market's consumer protections, operator standards, and responsible gambling requirements are actually working as an incentive, not just a constraint.
For players, channelization matters because regulated sites offer something offshore operators cannot: mandatory dispute resolution, AGCO oversight, iGaming Ontario compliance audits, and tools like BetGuard — Ontario's new centralized self-exclusion portal that lets players block themselves from every regulated site at once.
What the Numbers Say About the Market's Trajectory
The channelization gains are even more notable when you consider the scale of the market. In the fourth year of operation (April 2025 to March 2026), Ontario's regulated iGaming operators processed over $103 billion in total wagering and generated more than $4.2 billion in gaming revenue. When over 91% of that activity stays within the regulated system, the province's consumer protection framework reaches a much larger share of players than it did even 12 months ago.
iGaming Ontario President and CEO Joseph Hillier framed it as a vote of confidence: "These new results show growing confidence among Ontarians in the province's regulated market, which offers mandatory player protections and safeguards across all regulated sites that the unregulated market does not."
Minister of Tourism, Culture and Gaming Stan Cho was equally pointed: "As more Ontarians move to regulated platforms, it's clear that strong oversight, enhanced consumer protections, and responsible gaming measures are helping build greater trust and confidence in Ontario's online gaming sector."
The BetGuard Effect: A New Layer of Player Confidence
The Ipsos study was conducted in parallel with one of the market's most significant responsible gambling developments: BetGuard, Ontario's new centralized self-exclusion system that launched in May 2026. The tool allows anyone 19 or older to exclude themselves from every regulated iGaming operator — all 48 of them, across more than 75 gaming websites — through a single online portal.
BetGuard was built specifically to close one of the most persistent gaps in Ontario's earlier self-exclusion framework: a player could self-exclude from one regulated site but simply create an account at another. The new system removes that loophole entirely, covering the full regulated ecosystem in one step.
Responsible Gambling Council CEO Sarah McCarthy called BetGuard "one of the most effective tools we have in gambling harm prevention," adding that it reflects "the kind of cross-sector collaboration that makes regulated markets work for players and communities."
What This Means for Ontario Casino Players
If you've been gambling online on unregulated or offshore sites, the case for switching to an AGCO-licensed operator has never been stronger. Here's what regulated sites offer that unregulated alternatives cannot:
- AGCO oversight — Every licensed operator must comply with AGCO's Registrar's Standards for Internet Gaming, covering everything from fair game testing to advertising practices and player dispute resolution.
- BetGuard self-exclusion — One self-exclusion blocks you from every regulated site simultaneously. No equivalent exists in the unregulated market.
- Mandatory responsible gambling tools — Deposit limits, session time limits, and self-assessment tools are required on all licensed sites.
- Dispute resolution — If you have an issue with a licensed operator, iGaming Ontario has a formal complaints process. Offshore sites offer no recourse.
- Revenue reinvested to Ontario — In 2025-26, the regulated market generated $262 million in revenue that was reinvested into provincial programs, including gambling education and harm prevention.
The AGCO maintains a full list of all licensed operators on its website. You can also search iGaming Ontario's directory of regulated gaming websites at any time.
Looking Ahead: What's Next for Ontario's Regulated Market
Ontario's iGaming market is still evolving. At four years old, it's a relatively young regulated market by global standards, and there are several development threads worth watching:
- Cross-border poker — A court case is currently appealing to the Supreme Court of Canada that could open Ontario's regulated poker rooms to players outside provincial borders. If the appeal succeeds, it would represent a significant expansion of the market's competitive proposition.
- National self-exclusion — Canadian Gaming Association President Paul Burns has said the industry ultimately wants a national self-exclusion network. Ontario's BetGuard could serve as the blueprint.
- Market consolidation — As the market matures, expect continued consolidation among operators, with smaller players being squeezed out by the deeper pockets of established brands.
But the headline for now is clear: Ontario has crossed the 90% channelization threshold, and the regulated market is doing exactly what it was designed to do. For players, that means the regulated ecosystem is now the mainstream choice — not the exception.
If you're still playing on unregulated sites, our reviews of Ontario's top licensed casinos walk you through the best options, welcome bonuses, and what to expect when you make the switch.