Quebec Online Gaming Coalition Celebrates Second Anniversary with Salvo Against Loto Quebec
The Quebec Online Gaming Coalition is marking its second anniversary, appearing no nearer to its initial goal of dismantling Quebec’s online gaming monopoly than at the outset.
The Coalition was formed in May 2023 when Betway, Bet99, DraftKings, Entain, Flutter, Games Global, Rush Street Interactive, and Apricot Investments united, pledging to collaborate with the Quebec government and local stakeholders to establish a new regulatory framework for the province that would rival government-owned Loto Québec, the sole legal entity for online gaming.
At the same time, Ontario, which initiated a regulated iGaming market with private operators in April 2022, and with the iGaming Alberta Act on the verge of becoming law, hasn't experienced significant progress toward a comparable model, although a market launch there is expected in early 2026.
This week, during a budget estimate review by Loto Québec’s president, Jean-Francois Bergeron, it was disclosed that Loto Québec captures 50% of the province’s online players.
Gaming Alliance Advocates for Ontario Framework
A representative from the Coalition highlighted remarks from Finance Minister Eric Girard indicating that the provincial government lacks legal means to enforce Loto Québec’s online monopoly.
"That raises serious questions,” said Ariane Gauthier, spokesperson for the Quebec Online Gaming Coalition. “How can the government justify protecting only one in two online players when, in Ontario, opening the market to private operators has resulted in 83.7% of online gaming activity being conducted within a regulated environment?
“Given these facts, one must ask why the government remains committed to maintaining Loto-Québec’s monopoly — a model that is clearly failing?”
Uninterested in Rivalry
In a February 2024 article by La Tribune in Sherbrooke, QC, a representative for Girard stated that the provincial government will not emulate Ontario’s approach and will not establish a market that rivals the Loto-Québec monopoly, referencing “excessive exposure to online gambling ads and a trivialization of gambling,” as reported.
A representative from Loto Québec informed Casino.org that they find it exciting to participate in a new "national sports betting solution" being developed by the British Columbia Lottery Corporation and the Atlantic Corporation, which aims to establish a new national sports betting platform under the "Proline" name.
“The British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC) and Atlantic Lottery Corporation (ALC) have acknowledged that their current model no longer suited to the realities of online gaming and try to innovate,” Gauthier told Casino.org. “In contrast, Loto-Québec goes in the same direction and already launched a new platform of its own this year. Consolidating public monopolies, with or without Quebec’s participation, will not displace the private online gaming market. Sooner or later, the governments of British Columbia, the Atlantic provinces, and Quebec will need to modernize their regulatory frameworks to address this evolving landscape.”
