How Much Do Canadians Spend on Gambling?

A small percentage, around 3%, of people in Canada report spending over $100 on gaming and gambling every month. The great majority, 43%, spend between $1 to $20 monthly, with 14% setting aside between $20.01 and $100 for gambling on average every month. Canadians spend a total average of $6.75 every month on gambling activities. Many Canadians are also starting to use Interac casino sites to gamble online in a convenient fashion. However, when analyzed by gender, area, or economic status, the proportions of non-players and those spending up to $20 monthly varied far more. Still, the one that spent over $100 per month was consistent by region, gender, and age, as well as education, income, and employment status.

Gambling Statistics for Canadians

Gaming and Gambling in Different Regions of Canada

There are not large regional differences in gambling expenditures. For instance, groups spending between $20 and $100 and over $100 every month show quite similar patterns throughout the country. The variance from 20 to 100 turned out to be from 12 to 17%, whereas the higher value appeared to be from 2 to 4%.

Quebec has the highest gambling participation rate at 69% whereas Saskatchewan and Manitoba have the lowest at 50%. Though there seem to be variations among the provinces, the percentage of people spending more than $20 a month remains constant.

Gaming and Gambling in Different Age Groups

Younger Canadians aged 18 to 34 have a lesser tendency to gamble than older Canadians aged 35 to 54. While 45% of younger Canadians report that they do not spend any money on gambling, only 36% of older Canadians do not gamble.

Older gamblers tend to spend more on gambling; 45% spend between $1 and $20 each month. The share of top spenders is fairly stable, with 3% of those aged 18-54 and 4% of those over 55 spending more than $100 each month.

Is There a Difference Between Genders?

In terms of gambling, 69% of men and 60% of women report spending money on gambling monthly, with men actually a bit more inclined to gambling than women.

Women spend between $1 and $20 per month, and this represents 44% compared to 41% for men. On the other side, with 18%, more men than women—10%—are likely to spend up to $100 per month. Both men and women in category 4 can be seen to spend above $100 per month there by about 3%.

Does Income Affect Gambling Habits?

Households with incomes below $25,000 are least likely to gamble, with 53% not reporting any gambling expenditure. Households earning between $25,000 and $55,000 gamble on a regular basis at a rate of 39%, while those earning more than $55,000 gamble at a rate of 38%.

Households in the middle-income bracketare significantly more likely to spend anything between $20-$100 on gambling than are the higher or lower income brackets, with a difference of 17 percent, 14 percent, and 9 percent respectively. The sharing of individuals spending over $100 is constant across all groups of income brackets, ranging in values from 3 to 4 percent.

What Are the Most Popular Games in Land-Based Casinos?

The most preferred gambling devices of choice in land-based casinos across Canada are slot machines. In absolute numbers, there are approximately 67,000 slot machines in all of Canada, with Ontario having 23,750, British Columbia and Alberta having some 13,700 each. The allocation of slot machines per population in pretty much all provinces is consistent.

Online Gambling: A Fast-Growing Industry

Canada is the eighth in the world when it comes to spending on online gambling activities. Currently, there are more than 19.3 million online gamblers across Canada, spending $4 billion a year on offshore sites and another $16 billion at local casinos.

After the pandemic, online casinos gained popularity among the general public because of the ease with which players can access these casinos, the convenience of playing from home, and the attractive bonuses. Land-based casinos, therefore, see a decline in their revenue generation. For instance, in Alberta, land-based casino revenues dropped by 24%, encouraging the provincial government to create its own online casino, with other provinces following suit.

Online Gambling Demographics in Canada

Most online gamblers in Canada belong to the age group of 30 to 50 years. According to data, older gamblers seem to prefer games such as bingo, whilst younger ones enjoy fast-paced games. All kinds of online players tend to favor slots over others when it comes to the type of online casino games that Canadians play.