Ontario’s regulated online poker rooms kept CA$6.4 million from players in September, the most they have earned in any September since the market opened and a 25 per cent increase on the same month last year, according to iGaming Ontario’s monthly market performance data tables, published on Wednesday, October 28. The amount players actually put into the games kept falling. Peer-to-peer poker wagers came to CA$130 million, 10 per cent below September 2025 and the sixth consecutive month in which handle has trailed the year before.
The split between revenue and volume is the most notable feature of the release. It follows an August in which wagers fell 19 per cent, the worst year-over-year result in the market’s history, as we reported last month.
A Strong Month on a Soft Comparison
Poker’s non-adjusted gross gaming revenue, the rake and tournament fees operators retain before costs, rose 14 per cent from August’s CA$5.6 million. Only four months in the market’s history have produced more: March 2024 (CA$7.1 million), March 2026 (CA$6.9 million), August 2025 (CA$6.8 million) and March 2025 (CA$6.7 million).
| September | P2P poker wagers (CA$M) | P2P poker NAGGR (CA$M) |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 71 | 2.3 |
| 2023 | 132 | 5.5 |
| 2024 | 145 | 5.9 |
| 2025 | 144 | 5.1 |
| 2026 | 130 | 6.4 |
Source: iGaming Ontario Monthly Market Performance Data Tables, September 2026 edition (publication date October 28, 2026; data extracted October 22). Figures are unaudited and subject to adjustment.
The year-over-year gain needs context. September 2025 was itself a weak month: poker revenue fell 24 per cent from August that year, to CA$5.1 million, even though wagers barely moved. Measured against that base, almost any normal September would have looked strong. Against September 2024, this year’s revenue is up about 8 per cent while wagers are down about 10 per cent.
Operators Kept More of Each Dollar
The gap between the two lines comes down to how much operators retained from each dollar wagered. In September, poker revenue equalled 4.9 per cent of cash wagers, the highest ratio in the series since May 2022, the market’s second month. A year earlier it was 3.5 per cent.
The data tables do not say why. iGaming Ontario does not break poker figures out by operator, or by cash games and tournaments, and rake structures, tournament fees and the timing of large guarantees can all move the ratio from month to month. A heavy tournament schedule, or a guaranteed event that missed its target, could move the figure in either direction. The headline number, in other words, is a measure of what operators earned rather than evidence that more Ontarians are playing.
The Longer Trend
The rolling figures are steadier. Over the 12 months to September, Ontario players wagered CA$1.631 billion on peer-to-peer poker, down about 4 per cent from CA$1.695 billion over the previous 12 months. Revenue over the same period was CA$69.1 million, up about 1 per cent from CA$68.5 million. Calendar 2026 to date shows CA$1.230 billion in wagers, against CA$1.277 billion for January through September 2025, and CA$51.4 million in revenue, against CA$52.5 million.
Every month since April has fallen short of the same month in 2025 on handle. The run spans PokerStars’ changeover, when it closed its legacy Ontario site on May 7 and relaunched under the FanDuel brand on June 3, but it has persisted in the months since the new room opened. The province’s rooms remain ring-fenced, open only to players physically located in Ontario, while the Supreme Court of Canada considers whether they may share tables with players abroad. The court reserved judgment after hearing the case on October 7.
Poker in a Growing Market
The wider market continued to grow around it. Total cash wagers across Ontario’s private operators were CA$9.71 billion in September, level with August, and total revenue was CA$416.3 million, up 26 per cent on September 2025. Active player accounts reached 1.413 million, the highest in the market’s history and 17 per cent above August, a figure that counts accounts rather than individuals. Betting revenue rose 27 per cent from August to CA$69.1 million. Casino accounted for CA$340.8 million, or 82 per cent of revenue. Poker’s share was about 1.5 per cent.
What to Watch in October
The October figures, due in late November, will be the first to cover GGPoker Ontario’s ban on third-party tracking and heads-up display software, which took effect on October 15, as we reported. They will also include the full month’s operations of PokerStars on FanDuel Ontario and October’s online tournament schedules. Whether the higher revenue ratio persists, or proves to be a one-month effect, should be clearer then. Our market size and trends page sets out the longer history.
Figures are drawn from iGaming Ontario’s Monthly Market Performance Data Tables for September 2026, published October 28, 2026, with data extracted on October 22. Year-over-year, rolling and year-to-date figures are OntarioPoker.com calculations from the rounded monthly values in that workbook and may differ slightly from unrounded totals. iGaming Ontario’s market performance report page carries the full series. The illustration is AI-generated for editorial purposes. Online poker in Ontario is limited to players aged 19 or over who are physically located in the province. Free, confidential help is available 24 hours a day from ConnexOntario at 1-866-531-2600.