Montreal Online Gambling Triples as 54% Use Unregulated Sites

The figures come from a November 5 report by Montreal’s Regional Public Health Department, prepared with Concordia University’s Research Chair on Gambling Studies. The research drew on data from 8,500 Montreal adults surveyed in 2025 and 2026.

Fewer Adults Gamble, but Online Participation Has Tripled

Overall gambling participation fell between 2018 and 2025. Online activity moved in the opposite direction.

The study recorded three notable changes:

1. 13.3% of Montreal adults gambled online in 2025, compared with 4.4% in 2018;
2. 39% participated in gambling of any kind, down from 54.5%;
3. Men aged 18-34 were particularly likely to use online casino games, sports betting and poker.

The online participation rate was 3.02 times its 2018 level, an increase of 8.9 percentage points. The wider gambling participation rate, meanwhile, dropped by 15.5 points.

Unregulated Sites Account for More Than Half of Online Players

Researchers also examined where Montreal residents gamble online. Excluding online lottery ticket purchases, the results showed:

• 38% used only platforms outside the provincial regulated system;
• 16% used both those platforms and Loto-Québec services;
• 46% used Loto-Québec platforms exclusively.

Combined, the first two groups represent 54% of online gamblers in this breakdown. That is a measure of player participation, rather than the share of wagers or operator revenue going to unregulated sites.

The 16% who used both systems are particularly telling. Loto-Québec and sites outside provincial oversight share part of the same audience. The survey does not show how these players divide their spending or whether advertising restrictions would change where they play.