Nova Scotia’s government is monitoring the regulated online gambling markets in Ontario and Alberta while it considers potential changes to its own framework, according to Finance Minister John Lohr.
Opposition leaders, however, have warned that the province should “tread very, very carefully.”
Lohr told reporters this week that “gaming is in a time of incredible transformation.” He added: “We’re watching what’s happening in Ontario and Alberta, in particular, very carefully. And obviously, those are conversations that are underway right now.”
Ontario opened its regulated online gambling market in April 2022, and Alberta did the same in July 2026.
Offshore sites outside provincial oversight
At present, the Atlantic Lottery Corporation operates the only government-authorized and regulated online gambling platform in Nova Scotia, which offers online casino games and sports betting services.
However, many Nova Scotians are placing wagers on offshore websites that operate outside provincial regulation, Lohr said.
“I think anyone can access thousands of gaming sites on their phone through the internet and this is a very significant issue,” Lohr stated. “We don’t feel like we have any handle on it at all as a province. And I don’t know if anybody does. It’s just available on the internet, and there are significant harms for people who become addicted to gambling through it.”
Opposition seeks a health review first
New Democratic Party Leader Claudia Chender urged the province to approach any regulatory changes with caution because of concerns about the consequences of greater government participation in the gambling industry.
Interim Liberal Leader Iain Rankin, for his part, called for the completion of a public health risk assessment before the government considers any expansion.
A study from the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, released last month, found that emergency department visits related to gambling disorders in Ontario had doubled since the province expanded online gambling and legalized single-event sports betting.
Dr. Peter Selby, senior scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, said young people face particular risk, as reported by Global News.
“The addiction pathways in our brain are geared to consume and lose control. And so what happens is that because these games have an element of risk, there’s an excitement to it,” Selby said.
He also referred to Ontario survey findings from 2019 and 2026 on online gambling among high school students.
“When we take a look in Ontario at the youth surveys [of] high school kids, [online gambling] went from about one per cent in 2019 to about nine per cent now. So I think the problem is the way age verification is done, the way sports betting is marketed by sports figures, celebrities, influencers, etc.”
Ontario market posts record player count
Ontario’s regulated market, meanwhile, continues to grow. Figures from iGaming Ontario show total wagers of CA$9.71 billion (US$6.95 billion) in September, a 13.6% increase year over year.
Non-adjusted gross gaming revenue rose 26.2% year over year to CA$416.3 million (US$297.86 million).
Online casino gaming generated the largest share of revenue at CA$340.8 million (US$243.84 million) and accounted for CA$8.50 billion (US$6.08 billion) of the total handle.
Sports betting revenue increased 47.3% year over year to CA$69.1 million (US$49.44 million).
Active player accounts reached a new high of 1.41 million, up 20.1% year over year.