How Regulated iGaming Works
A short, neutral explainer of the mechanics behind Ontario's regulated online gaming market — the vocabulary you need to read the data on this site.
The players in the market
A regulated Ontario online-gaming session involves three parties: the operator (the brand you see), the game supplier (which builds and certifies the games), and the regulator and conduct body (the AGCO and iGO). Money flows from the player to the operator; a defined share is returned as winnings, and the remainder is gaming revenue, part of which the province receives.
Key terms
Handle / total wagers
The gross value of all bets placed. Because winnings are re-wagered, handle is much larger than the money players actually lose.
Gross gaming revenue (GGR)
Wagers minus winnings paid out — what operators keep. This is the meaningful measure of the market's size and of aggregate player losses.
Return to player (RTP)
The long-run percentage of wagers a game pays back. A 96% RTP slot returns C$96 for every C$100 wagered on average, over millions of spins — not per session.
Active player account
An account that placed at least one wager in the reporting period — the standard way iGO counts participation. It is not the same as unique individuals.
Why "regulated" changes the numbers
Before 2022, Ontarians who played online mostly used offshore sites that reported nothing to anyone. Ontario's regulated market brought that activity into a framework where it is measured, taxed, and subject to player-protection rules — which is why market data suddenly became available, and why it is not directly comparable to the unregulated era.
Last reviewed: 2026-07-29.