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Ontario and Alberta both have legalized iGaming marketplaces after Alberta launched its regulated market in July.
Now, with the first results from Alberta available, it shows some differing interests between the gamblers in both provinces.
The September market report from the Alberta iGaming Corporation showed that online casino accounted for 75.6% — a little more than three quarters — of the iGaming business in Alberta.
Meanwhile, sports betting was at 19.5% of the business, about a fifth of the province’s legal gambling business. September is traditionally a heavy month for sports betting, with the launch of the NFL season.
Ontario has more teams but lower betting share
The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario’s numbers were more lopsided. In September, 88% of Ontario’s legal internet gamers played casino games, while just 11% of the business was made on sports and events wagering.
Ontario’s population, with more than 16 million people, is more than three times the size of Alberta. So the only way to compare them is on a per capita basis.
Ontario is home to the Toronto Blue Jays, Toronto Raptors, two NHL teams (with the Buffalo Sabres right on the border) and two CFL teams. Toronto was a host city for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. It has Toronto FC of Major League Soccer, plus three teams in the Canadian Premier League.
Alberta is home to two NHL teams and two CFL teams, but has no NBA or MLB home teams. It has only one Canadian Premier League side, in Calgary. Edmonton’s folded after the 2022 season. Minor league baseball left Alberta decades ago, and the leagues that do exist in the province are amateur “wood bat” circuits, where NCAA players go in the summer. Because these are amateur events, they can’t be wagered on legally.
Baseball is king in Alberta
Despite Ontario having a much more crowded professional sports scene, Albertans are betting almost twice as much on sports on a per capita basis. And the leading sport is one not represented in the province: baseball.
Since these numbers are from September, the NHL betting hasn’t really kicked in yet. But baseball is outpacing the NFL, at least according to info provided by DraftKings on the Alberta market.
DraftKings reports that MLB sees the most action in terms of total bets and handle. And the team that attracts the most bets in Alberta is one that draws the same attention in the U.S.: the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The World Series-champion Milwaukee Brewers were in second place by handle, while the Toronto Blue Jays were in second place by total bets.
The fact that the NFL didn’t dominate the landscape in September is eyebrow raising, and it will be interesting to see the trends from November on without the MLB around.
