Online Casino Dominating Government-Owned Platforms As Well

Online Casino Dominating Government-Owned Platforms As Well

According to the Atlantic Lottery Corporation's annual report released last month, provincial lottery organizations are experiencing a similar situation in a country where internet casinos dominate the private sector igaming market.

Atlantic Lottery made CAD $498.7 million in profit in 2024–2025, up $11.7 million from the year before.  According to President and CEO Dallas McCready, all profits are returned to Canada's four Atlantic provinces, where they are utilized to pay for infrastructure, healthcare, and education.

The Destination line of business produced $243.1 million of the stated profit.  Play is available at all video lottery venues in the area as well as at both of Atlantic Lottery's Red Shores locations in Prince Edward Island.

Profit increased by CAD $11.7 million, and the retail and iLottery business lines brought in $255.6 million.  Draw, Scratch'N Win, Pro-Line, and other ticket sales at physical stores are all considered retail.  Lastly, all purchases made by players on alc.ca are included in iLottery, whether they are for casino games, online Pro-Line bets, or draw tickets like Lotto Max.

More specifically, Nova Scotia received $165.1 million from Atlantic Lottery, New Brunswick received $154.6 million, Newfoundland and Labrador received $153.1 million, and Prince Edward Island received $25.9 million.

Almost $500 million

In 2024–2025, Atlantic Lottery gave $461.2 million in prizes, a nearly $14 million increase over the previous fiscal year.

“Although we cannot provide a specific statistic for Atlantic Canada, our research and experience similarly indicate that casino games attract most online players within our region,” said Greg Weston, a spokesperson with Atlantic Lotter. “We do see further growth potential in that area, which has continued to experience significant growth in recent years.

According to figures supplied by iGaming Ontario, internet casinos accounted for 84% of the CAD $8.9 billion in revenue generated in the competitive private sector of the Ontario market in September. 

The government-owned Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation igaming platform did not provide a casino revenue breakdown.

The Grey Market Continues to Rule

Atlantic Lottery is the sole legal provider of online gambling and sports betting in the region.  The majority of people continue to place bets on black market sites.

A statement claims that Atlantic Lottery increased its market share of online gambling in the area from 22% to 34% in 2024–2025.  Reaching 50% of the local online gaming industry over a five-year period will help cut down on the $200 million that illicit gambling operators take out of the area annually.

That will be aided by increasing the range of online casino products they offer.