After Ontario and Alberta: Another Canadian Province Ponders Online Gambling
Nova Scotia is considering expanding its regulated online gambling market while weighing Ontario and Alberta's experiences and public health concerns.Summary
Nova Scotia is evaluating whether to expand its regulated online gambling market, with Finance Minister John Lohr confirming that discussions are underway and that the government is closely watching Ontario and Alberta. Ontario launched its regulated market in April 2022, and Alberta followed in July 2026, both allowing private operators to offer online casino games and sports betting under provincial oversight. Nova Scotia currently has only one government-authorized platform run by the Atlantic Lottery Corporation, but residents can access offshore sites outside the regulatory system, which Lohr says complicates monitoring and addiction control. Opposition leaders, including NDP Leader Claudia Chender and Interim Liberal Leader Iain Rankin, urge caution and call for a public health risk assessment. Concerns are backed by an ICES study showing gambling-related emergency department visits doubled in Ontario since regulation, and by Dr. Peter Selby's warning about youth gambling, with the proportion of Ontario high school students reporting online gambling rising from 1% in 2019 to 9% in 2026. Ontario's market figures illustrate the potential scale: total wagers reached CAD 9.71 billion in September 2026, up 13.6% year-over-year, with gross gaming revenue of CAD 416.3 million and 1.41 million active player accounts.
(Source：Gamblingnews)