Quebec nearly matched Ontario on Blask’s online-gambling demand index in August 2026, despite having about 9 million residents compared with Ontario’s 16.1 million.

The revenue estimates pointed in the opposite direction. Blask’s Competitive Earning Baseline placed Ontario 47% ahead of Quebec from January through August 2026. The analysis was published on September 16, 2026.

Demand was close, but projected revenue was not

Blask ranked Ontario and Quebec first and second among Canadian provinces on its demand index. Their August scores were nearly level, even though Ontario’s population was about 1.8 times larger.

Statistics Canada estimated Ontario’s population at 16,103,890 and Quebec’s at 9,016,222 on April 1, 2026. The figures are preliminary and may be revised.

The comparison highlights a difference in how online-gambling demand reaches regulated operators. Ontario operates a competitive online-gaming market. Quebec offers online casino games and sports betting through Loto-Québec’s platform, which the Crown corporation identifies as the province’s only legal gaming website.

Ontario’s open model captures more projected revenue

Blask estimated that about four-fifths of Ontario’s projected revenue came from onshore brands. In Quebec, it estimated that 84% came from offshore brands.

These are modelled estimates, not audited revenue figures. They were not reported by provincial regulators or operators. The offshore classification also does not, by itself, establish that every brand counted by Blask is illegal under Quebec law.

The contrast remains significant. Similar search demand was associated with more projected revenue inside Ontario’s regulated market. In Quebec, much of the modelled revenue appeared to be linked to brands outside the province’s official system.

Different systems create different routes to market

Ontario separates regulatory and commercial functions. The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario registers and regulates operators. iGaming Ontario conducts and manages online gaming offered through private operators.

iGaming Ontario listed 49 operators and 84 gaming websites as of September 1, 2026. Its directory includes private companies offering casino games and sports betting, as well as OLG.ca, operated by the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation.

Quebec’s model is more concentrated. Loto-Québec says its online platform offers casino games, virtual sports, keno, lotteries and sports betting. It also requires identity checks, age verification and geolocation for account access.

What the figures show

  • Demand: Blask’s index tracks online-gambling interest and activity signals. It is not a government measure of wagers or gross gaming revenue.
  • Projected revenue: The Competitive Earning Baseline is an estimate. It should not be treated as reported provincial gaming revenue.
  • Market capture: The comparison suggests that market structure may affect how much online demand reaches regulated operators. The data alone do not prove that competition caused the entire revenue gap.
Blask’s figures suggest that Quebec has substantial online-gambling demand. The policy question is how much of that demand reaches the province’s legal platform, and how much is linked to offshore brands outside Quebec’s consumer-protection system.

The figures do not measure every aspect of consumer behaviour or establish a direct causal link between market structure and revenue. They do, however, show a clear gap between demand and projected regulated-market capture in the two provinces.