The Québec Online Gaming Coalition has recently issued a survey which studies the online gambling habits of Quebecers. It discovered that almost 3 out of 4 local players or 73% prefer privately-operated iGaming platforms when playing online casino games or wager on sports. The survey comes amidst calls for the local government to launch a private online casino sector.
QOGC was established earlier this year and it includes Betway, Bet99, DraftKings, Flutter, Entain, RushStreet and Apricot. Its objective is to lobby for the introduction of a licensing and tax system for the creation of an independent regulatory body to oversee gaming in Québec. Currently, the only regulated online gambling in the province is run by Loto-Québec.
Quebecers Prefer Private iGaming Platforms
Its survey was conducted by Mainstreet Research and was based on answers from 1010 Quebecers who admitted to indulging in iGaming. It discovered that 72% of the people who used Loto-Québec’s Espace Jeux regulated platform do so exclusively to buy lottery tickets. By excluding this number, only 26.6% of players visit the site to engage in iGaming and sports betting.
Nathalie Bergeron, the Coalition’s spokesperson, commented that the numbers suggest that the Crown’s monopoly only exists in theory and its latest assessment of the sector did not reflect reality. She added that the province must consider Quebecers’ online habits and choices who play online and establish a proper regulatory regime to protect players who play on private platforms.
The survey also found that more than two-thirds of local players or 67% support the notion of introducing a regulated and private online gaming market by establishing a licensing and tax model. These findings are similar to the data from the general population reported by QOGC in May 2023 and demonstrate an appeal for regulated online gambling in the province.
Additionally, 56% of the provincial players agreed that the creation of an independent regulatory body to be in charge of the entire gambling product in the province, including the Crown corporation, would deliver greater oversight amid growing concerns about consumer safety and responsible gambling. It remains to be seen whether the province would listen to feedback.
Montreal Public Health Also Calls for Change
It should be mentioned that Montreal Public Health is also in favour of establishing an independent regulatory body after opposing Loto-Québec’s mini-casino plans next to the Bell Centre. MPH published a 40-page report about its potential harms. Thus, leaving no choice to the Crown corporation but to back down on its plans and abandon the gaming centre plans.
However, MPH was not the only one discontent with the Crown corporation’s plans for downtown groups from the city’s Montreal’s Sud-Ouest borough and Peter-McGill district of the Ville-Marie borough have declared their strong stance against a gambling establishment near the home of the Montreal Canadiens as it would capitalize on at-risk communities.
Source: “New survey calls into question Loto-Québec’s assessment of the online gaming market in Québec” PR Newswire, December 1, 2023
