Quebec Coalition: Latest Media Report Pushes Need for New Gaming Regulation
Posted on: August 8, 2025, 11:48h.
Last updated on: August 8, 2025, 01:22h.
A story in Thursday’s Le Devoir talking about how gambling addiction is claiming younger victims is another reason why Quebec needs an Ontario-style igaming regulatory regime, says Ariane Gauthier, spokesperson for the Quebec Online Gaming Coalition.
The story quoted a 16-year-old who started out gambling online, turning $80 into a $1,200 win. He was soon gambling more frequently. It reached a point where he was opening his own accounts on illegal online gaming sites in Canada using his brother’s ID card.
You don’t feel like you’re playing with money. It’s too easy,” the young man told Le Devoir.
Young people are often targeted and victimized by illegal gaming sites, with gambling incentives over social media that link young people to gaming sites.
Another person quoted in the story said a 16-year-old he knew lost $6,000 in one summer.
Loto-Québec Holds Gaming Monopoly
The story speaks again to the need for a regulatory regime in the province that age-gates igaming sites, like what the industry has seen in a three-year-old Ontario iGaming market, where people under 18 can’t play, Gauthier said. Responsible gaming is also a key pillar in the Ontario model.
In Quebec, the only legal igaming sites are operated by Loto-Québec.
The Quebec Online Gaming Coalition was launched in May 2023 when Betway, Bet99, DraftKings, Entain, Flutter, Games Global, Rush Street Interactive, and Apricot Investments came together to work with the Quebec government and local stakeholders to develop a new regulatory framework for the province that competes with government-owned Loto Québec.
Private Sector Coalition Response
Gauthier issued a statement in response to the Le Devoir article:
Le Devoir reports today on the growing interest of young people — including minors — in online gaming. This situation is concerning and should prompt the Government of Quebec to seriously consider the best approach to regulate online gaming and prevent access for those under 18. Loto-Québec has been developing its online gaming offering for 15 years now, attempting to enforce its monopoly on the Internet,” Gautier wrote.
“After all this time, the results speak for themselves — and they fall short. Quebec deserves better. We should look to the Ontario model for inspiration: requiring private operators to comply with strict rules set by Quebec and to pay taxes to the government in exchange for a license to operate in the province.
Only 27% Channeled Into Regulated Market
At a presentation during the Canadian Gaming Summit in June, TRM Public Affairs President Troy Ross presented data that showed Quebec leads the charge in gross gaming revenue being lost to the unregulated market at CA$1.97 billion, followed by Alberta and BC, at CA$1.3 billion, Ontario, at CA$757 million, and Atlantic Canada, at CA$600 million.
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