Quebec Online Gaming Coalition Bears Down With Election Approaching
Posted on: June 21, 2025, 11:48h.
Last updated on: June 21, 2025, 11:48h.
One fact that stood out during this week’s Canadian Gaming Summit, held in Toronto, was the gross gaming revenue being lost to the unregulated market in Quebec – CAD $1.97 billion.
$1.97 Billion Lost to Unregulated Market
That was according to data presented by Troy Ross, President, TRM Public Affairs.
Ross was on a panel along with Patrick Harris, President, Rubicon Strategy, Ariane Gauthier, Spokesperson, Quebec Online Gaming Coalition, and Jill Walker, Partner, GW Group, about the future of igaming across the rest of the country, now that Ontario is established, and a similar framework is currently being developed in Alberta.
According to Ross’ research, Quebec leads the charge in the lost revenue department, followed by Alberta and B.C., at CAD $1.3 billion, Ontario, at CAD $757 million, and Atlantic Canada, at CAD $600 million.
27% of Players Channeled Into Regulated Market in Quebec
In Ontario, 84% of players have been channeled into the regulated market, while in B.C. it’s 24%, Alberta 10%, Atlantic Canada 25%, and Quebec 27%.
The issue with Quebec is an interesting one, said Gauthier, both as part of the panel discussion, but also in a chat with Casino.org afterwards.
One telling point she made about Quebec (and Gauthier spent a good part of her career working inside the Quebec provincial government): Institutions like Loto-Quebec are baked in, deeply entrenched, and Quebecers are more hesitant to change when it comes to uprooting monopolies like that. Crown corporations are important to Quebecers, in part to protect the culture, while growing the economy, Gauthier said. There’s a time-tested security and positive force that comes with them, she added.
Canadian Gaming Summit
Still, without advocating for the private model, that’s a lot of taxable revenue that Quebec is leaving on the table. While Alberta is coming on board with an Ontario-style model in early 2026, the conversation at the show was on the need for harmonization of regulation across all the jurisdictions, and what province might follow Alberta.
Quebec might be the most stubborn when it comes to changing ways, and Gauthier knows it.
She has her work cut out for, which is a reason she came to the show, watched the panels, and participated. It’s about learning more about the issues that are going to change hearts and minds in Quebec – like the benefit of improving player safety in a private, regulated, competitive market model.
Long Game
It’s going to take time, but we’re getting there,” she said. “It’s progressing. We’re now discussing this issue in Quebec. There was no debate at all two years ago, about regulating the grey market. We’re now challenging the status quo. We’re visible.”
The Coalition was launched in May 2023 when Betway, Bet99, DraftKings, Entain, Flutter, Games Global, Rush Street Interactive and Apricot Investments came together, committed to working with the Quebec government and local stakeholders to develop a new regulatory framework for the province, that competes with government-owned Loto Québec, the only legal entity for online gaming.
Now, Loto Québec is forced to explain what they are doing, what their results are, Gauthier said. What are their solutions to bring more players into the regulated market, she asked?
Private Operators Funding Coalition
It makes one think – if one more province announces it wants to follow Ontario and Alberta, and change its igaming regulatory regime, will that be the inflection point, with a national solution becoming a reality after that, including Quebec?
Private operators financially support the coalition. Others are looking at joining. So, there’s that. But the operators are also very helpful in bringing the Coalition data and inside information on what is going on the industry outside of Quebec.
They also help us and put us in contact with people that can help Quebec understand the big picture and to learn from what others do,” Gauthier said. “And I think that’s also important to have for Quebec to have a look at what’s going on in other jurisdictions, especially in Canada.”
Provincial Election in October 2026
More people, especially young people, are turning to digital gaming, so it becomes important for the Quebec government to stay agile and adapt regulation to reflect that shift.
More specifically, Gauthier, a 20-year political communication professional, was a former public policy advisor to Quebec Premier Francois Legault (2018-2022).
According to recent polls, Legault’s Coalition Avenir Quebec party is 18% in the popular vote projection, with the Parti Quebecois under Paul St-Pierre Plamondon at 32% (majority government projection), followed by the Liberals under Pablo Rodriguez at 24%.
One would think the Coalition would be lobbying the opposition parties but Gauthier doesn’t see it that way.
Working with All Political Parties
We haven’t thrown in the towel on the current government,” she said. “There’s an appetite for this change. It’s not impossible that that CAQ starts to put things into motion. We’re still talking to government, painting broader pictures, as well as the opposition parties, showing how we can all win. But it’s far from being done.
“If you look at forward, at a five-year period, there’s no choice but to pivot to something else. The current system is not adapted for internet. It might take years to get the government’s attention. But it’s not a matter of if it will happen, it’s when.”
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