iGaming Ontario released its May 2026 monthly market performance report on Tuesday, and the numbers extend a four-year run of double-digit growth across every headline metric. Licensed operators processed CAD $9.478 billion in total cash wagers during the month, generated $413.1 million in non-adjusted gross gaming revenue (NAGGR), and saw 1.257 million active player accounts, with an average revenue per active player account (ARPPA) of $329 — a new high for the metric's April-May window.
Compared to May 2025, total wagers rose 17.5% and revenue climbed 22.2%. The gap between the two growth rates is the story of the month: the market is converting each dollar wagered more efficiently than it did a year ago, even as handle itself pulled back slightly (-0.1%) from April's $9.48 billion. Read together, those numbers say the market is past the pure-acquisition phase of 2022-2024 and into a mature phase where operators compete on monetization and player retention rather than on signups.
Casino Carries the Month, Betting Pulls Back
Online casino play remained the dominant segment, accounting for 88% of total wagers ($8.371 billion) and 79% of NAGGR ($326.4 million). Both figures were up modestly month-over-month — casino wagers rose 3% and casino revenue climbed 4% — putting May 2026 within striking distance of March's all-time handle record of $9.59 billion in total market wagers.
Sports betting had a quieter month. Betting handle fell 7% from April to $972 million, and betting market share dipped to 10%. The pullback is consistent with the typical post-playoff lull between the NBA and NHL conference finals and the start of the new football calendar in September. With the Stanley Cup Final and the FIFA World Cup 2026 fixtures both running through the back half of June, May's softer betting handle looks more like seasonality than weakness.
Peer-to-peer poker posted a small gain. Poker wagers rose 5% to $134 million, the highest figure in five months and a sign that the spring WSOP-online qualifiers are starting to show up in the cash-game numbers. Poker revenue figures are not yet broken out in the same product summary as casino and betting, but the handle uptick is the right directional signal.
Player Count Holds Above 1.25 Million
Active player accounts slipped 1% month-over-month to 1.257 million, the first sequential dip since January. That's still the third-highest monthly active-account figure in the market's history — the all-time high was January 2026's 1.327 million, followed by February's 1.305 million. April landed at 1.265 million.
As always, the active-account count reflects the number of operator-issued accounts that saw wagering activity during the month, not the number of unique Ontarians gambling. A single player can hold accounts at multiple licensed operators, and iGaming Ontario's methodology note is explicit about that. But the directional signal is consistent with the Ipsos channelization data from Year 4 (April 2025 through March 2026): 91.1% of Ontario online gamblers used regulated sites, up from 83.7% the prior year. Our earlier coverage of the channelization milestone and what it means for player protections walks through the policy backdrop.
The April 2026 Context
May 2026's figures come on the heels of an April report that set a new April record across every metric. April posted $9.48 billion in wagers, $405.4 million in revenue, 1.265 million active accounts, and a record $321 ARPPA. The combined April-May data puts the year on pace to comfortably exceed 2025's $4.04 billion full-year revenue mark — and to set a new annual record for the market's fourth full year of operation.
The April article also flagged three things to watch in May and June: the NBA Finals and Stanley Cup Final, the typical summer slowdown pattern, and Alberta's July 13, 2026 launch. May's betting handle decline tracks the post-playoff lull described there. June's report — expected in late July — will be the first real test of the summer slowdown pattern against what looks like a stronger-than-typical baseline.
What $413 Million in Revenue Means for the Province
Ontario collects a 20% tax on gross gaming revenue from licensed iGaming operators. Apply that to May 2026's $413.1 million in NAGGR and the province books roughly $82.6 million in gaming tax for the month alone. That's consistent with the run rate from the back half of 2025 and comfortably ahead of the early-2024 pace.
Cumulative NAGGR since the market launched in April 2022 is now well past $14 billion, with provincial tax revenue crossing the $2.8 billion mark on the 20% rate. For comparison, the OLG's land-based and lottery operations contributed roughly $2.5 billion to provincial coffers in the most recent fiscal year, meaning regulated iGaming is now the largest single source of gaming tax revenue in the province — a position it first reached in late 2024.
What's in the Pipeline
Three Ontario-policy items will shape the next several monthly reports:
1. AGCO livestream media bingo. Effective June 23, 2026, eligible Ontario charities can broadcast media bingo via a livestream as an alternative to airing on local cable television. Our earlier coverage of the livestream media bingo policy change and what it means for charitable fundraising walks through the licensing details. The change is small in dollar terms (charitable bingo is a fraction of the regulated market), but it's the first concrete modernization of the bingo format since the LLPM was last updated.
2. Alberta's launch on July 13, 2026. Alberta has confirmed July 13 as the go-live date for its own regulated iGaming market, modelled on Ontario's framework. 28 operators are pre-registered. Several Ontario-headquartered operators — Betway's parent Super Group, BetMGM, FanDuel — are positioning for the launch. The competitive impact on Ontario will be minimal in the near term (Alberta's population is roughly 30% of Ontario's), but the cross-border player flow is worth tracking through the second half of the year.
3. BetGuard enrolment ramp. BetGuard, the centralized self-exclusion system operated by iGaming Ontario, went live across all 48 operators and 75+ sites in early May. The May monthly report does not yet break out enrolment numbers, but expect iGO to start publishing those figures in the June or July report. The system covers every AGCO-licensed operator in the province, so any player who opts out is opted out everywhere — a meaningful upgrade from the patchwork of operator-by-operator self-exclusion programs that ran from April 2022 through April 2026.
The Bottom Line
May 2026 was the strongest May in Ontario iGaming history. Every headline metric — handle, revenue, active accounts, ARPPA — set a new May record. Casino drove 88% of the action; betting settled into a typical post-playoff pattern; and player counts held above 1.25 million for the fourth consecutive month. The market continues to grow on the back of better monetization of an existing player base, not on new signups, which is exactly the maturity signal you'd expect from a four-year-old regulated industry.
For Ontario players, the takeaway is the same as it has been. The market is healthy, growing, and operating under one of the strongest regulatory frameworks in North America. Stick to AGCO-licensed operators, use the responsible gambling tools available on every licensed site, and remember that BetGuard now lets you opt out of every regulated site in the province with a single application. If you're comparing offers across operators, our wagering requirements guide walks through the math on bonus terms and what to look for before signing up.