Nova Scotia is considering whether to broaden its regulated online gambling market, with Finance Minister John Lohr saying the government is closely studying the approaches taken in Ontario and Alberta. No decision has been made, but discussions are underway over a sector Lohr described as being in “a time of incredible transformation.”
The province’s current framework gives Atlantic Lottery Corporation the exclusive right to conduct and manage online games in Nova Scotia. Its platform offers online casino games and sports betting, while provincial regulations define online games broadly enough to include casino-style products and simulated or live-dealer games. The rules also require reasonable measures to prevent under-19s from participating.
Lohr told CBC that Nova Scotians are already wagering on unregulated sites, as well as Ontario-regulated platforms, leaving Nova Scotia with little ability to oversee that activity or address gambling-related harms. He said any decision would have implications for both provincial revenue and Atlantic Lottery.
Ontario opened its market to private online operators in April 2022, and Alberta expanded to private operators in July. Those provincial frameworks allow private companies to offer online casino games and sports betting under provincial oversight, providing the models Nova Scotia is now examining.
Ontario’s regulated market recorded CA$9.7 billion in wagers in September, up 13.6% from a year earlier. Non-adjusted gross gaming revenue reached CA$416.3 million, while active player accounts rose 20.1% to 1.41 million. Online casino accounted for CA$340.8 million in revenue, and sports-betting revenue was CA$69.1 million, up 47.3% year over year.
Opposition leaders have urged the government to put public health ahead of a potential expansion. NDP Leader Claudia Chender said Nova Scotia should “tread very, very carefully” before the government becomes more involved in online gambling, calling gambling addictive and socially harmful. Interim Liberal Leader Iain Rankin said a public-health risk assessment should be completed before any expansion or legislative change.
Their concerns follow evidence from Ontario cited in the debate. A study by the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences found emergency-department visits related to gambling disorders doubled after online gambling was regulated and single-event sports betting was introduced. Ontario survey findings also showed the share of high-school students reporting online gambling rose from about 1% in 2019 to about 9% in 2026.
Nova Scotia’s own government guidance says gambling problems generally increase when new forms and opportunities to gamble are introduced. It recommends a public-health approach combining supply reduction, demand reduction and harm-reduction measures, and says reducing gambling harm may require accepting some reduction in gambling revenue.
The policy discussion comes days after the Canadian Online Gaming Association registered lobbyists to press Nova Scotia to establish a private-operator iGaming market, as we reported in October. Nova Scotia has not committed to expanding online gambling.
