New polling shows Canadians are growing wary of sports betting’s spread, just as operators face rising pressure to make payments faster, safer, and easier to understand.
Bettors Want Speed, Regulators Want Proof
Canadian sportsbooks have a familiar headache: players want quick deposits and painless withdrawals, while regulators want tighter checks on identity, payment ownership, suspicious activity, and responsible gambling.
That tension is becoming harder to ignore in Ontario, where iGaming Ontario reported more than $82.7 billion in wagers during its 2024-25 reporting year, along with $2.9 billion in gaming revenue and 50 active operators. A market that large was never going to stay in the “move fast and hope nobody asks awkward questions” phase for long.
Payment habits are part of the squeeze. Digital payments made up 86% of total payment volume in Canada in 2024, while Interac e-Transfer reported 1.4 billion transactions that year. For the average online casino or sportsbook player, that means a delayed cashout can feel ancient, even when the operator is dealing with anti-money-laundering checks behind the curtain.
The Public Mood is Getting Frosty
A fresh Angus Reid Institute poll suggests Canadians are not exactly giving sports betting a standing ovation. The survey found 69% are worried problem gambling will rise as sports betting keeps expanding, while 28% are worried someone they know is addicted to sports betting. Among men aged 18 to 34, that figure rises to 37%.
Only 13% of Canadians said they placed a sports bet in the past year, but the concern spreads far beyond active bettors. Angus Reid found 46% of Canadians view the growing presence of sports betting as a bad or terrible thing, compared with just 8% who see it as good or great. That is not a branding problem. That is a “people are watching what this does to their friends” problem.
Responsible Gambling Tools are There, but Many Skip Them
The poll also showed a gap between availability and use. Among Canadians who bet on sports in the past year, 46% said they had used at least one responsible gambling tool, with deposit limits the most common at 20%. Still, 54% said they had used none.
For operators, that matters because player protection is no longer a tucked-away help page. Ontario’s AGCO standards require internet gaming operators to identify, prevent, and reduce risks tied to problem gambling, while also offering responsible gambling information, self-exclusion tools, and limit-setting controls.
For regular players, the best tools are the boring ones that work before things go sideways: deposit caps, spending trackers, cool-off periods, and clear withdrawal rules. Nobody opens a betting app hoping for homework, but a five-second limit prompt is better than a very long conversation with your bank account.
Money is Still the Main Hook
Angus Reid found that 57% of sports bettors said making money was a reason they bet, ahead of entertainment at 51% and making games more exciting at 34%. Only 11% said their knowledge gives them a competitive edge. That last number may be the most honest thing in the whole survey.
Most bettors kept stakes fairly modest, with 57% saying their largest single bet in the past six months was $50 or less. Yet 21% had placed a single bet of at least $100, and 5% reported a bet over $500.
The Next Fight is Over Friction
Sports betting operators are being pushed to deliver smoother payments without weakening checks that stop fraud, underage gambling, money laundering, or harmful play. That is a tricky sell to customers who only notice the system when it slows them down.
The operators that handle this best will not just be the ones with the fastest cashouts. They will be the ones who explain the rules before the player deposits, flag risks before losses spiral, and make responsible gambling tools feel like part of the product rather than a legal disclaimer wearing a cheap suit.
