Ask most NHL fans what they associate with regulated online gambling in Canada, and the answer is usually sports betting — moneylines, puck lines, same-game parlays on tonight’s matchup. But four years into Ontario’s regulated market, the actual numbers tell a different story: it’s casino gaming, not sports betting, that’s driving almost all of the growth, and hockey fans are turning out to be a big part of that shift.
The numbers behind the shift
Ontario’s regulated iGaming market handled a record $9.59 billion in wagers in March 2026, up nearly 21% year-over-year. Online casino accounted for 82% of operator revenue that month and grew nearly 26% year-over-year, while sports betting handle actually fell 9% compared to the year before. By May, the gap had widened further: casino made up 88% of total wagering ($8.37 billion of $9.48 billion handled), with sports betting sitting essentially flat at $972 million even with a home-hosted World Cup underway in Toronto that same month.
None of this means hockey fans have stopped betting on games. Hockey remains one of the most heavily wagered sports in the province, and NHL markets — moneylines, player props, live in-period betting — are consistently among the most stable products regulated sportsbooks offer, largely because the sport’s standardized data and centralized officiating make it straightforward for regulators to approve new bet types. What’s changed is that the same fans placing those bets are increasingly also the ones spending time on the casino side of the same platforms.
One account, two habits
Part of the explanation is simple convenience. A growing number of operators have built combined casino-and-sportsbook products rather than sportsbook-only platforms, meaning a fan who logs in to bet on tonight’s game is one tap away from a full slots and live-dealer library on the same account. Beazt casino is one example of an operator built around that combined structure in the Canadian markets where it operates, alongside larger established brands offering similar all-in-one products. For fans, the appeal is less about choosing casino over sports betting and more about not having to choose a separate platform for each.
What it means going forward
If Ontario’s pattern holds elsewhere as more provinces open up their own regulated markets, operators that can offer a genuinely strong casino product — not just a sportsbook with a few slots bolted on — are likely to keep pulling ahead of sportsbook-only competitors. Recent market reporting on Ontario’s handle suggests that pattern is already well established rather than a temporary blip. For hockey fans, that probably means the platforms fighting hardest for their attention next season will be judged as much on their casino floor as their in-game betting markets.
