Ontario’s Safer Bet: Study Indicates 86% of Gamblers Prefer Regulated Sites

Gamblers in Ontario were ecstatic in 2022 when the provincial government regulated online gambling. Before these regulations came into place, roughly 70% of gamblers in the province were seeking entertainment through gambling sites that weren’t regulated. Now that licensed online casinos are available in the province, this has greatly changed.

A study was released by Ipsos, and it showed that 86.4% of gamblers in Ontario used licensed online casinos at least once within a 3-month period in early 2024. This is a slight increase from the results of a study performed in 2023, which showed 85.3% of gamblers using regulated gambling sites.

There are several legal online casinos in Ontario that players can choose from. Whether you’re new to online gambling or know your way around a casino site, you should always aim to play at regulated sites. This is because player protection is a #1 priority at licensed online casinos.

A licensed online casino will operate in compliance with a regulatory body. The games have been tested for fair play to ensure that every player has an equal opportunity to win. There are also security standards that the casino will have to meet for security. According to CasinoRIX researchers, this isn’t something you can guarantee with unlicensed casinos.

Unfortunately, there are still unregulated online casinos operating in Ontario. According to the Ipsos study, 20.1% of Ontario gamblers are still using these sites. They often appeal to players by offering very attractive welcome packages that seem too good to be true. What players don’t realize is that these offers can contain unfair wagering requirements and have other strings attached, making it difficult to win. That’s one of the many reasons why you should only play through regulated platforms.