Loto-Québec has just released its 2024/25 Fiscal Year Quarter revenue report. The document shows that the provincial lottery corporation brought in $734.4M from October 1 to December 30, 2024. This is a massive number on its own, but the corporation says that it’s close to a record-breaking number. If the next quarter comes anywhere close to its projections, 2024/25 could be a record-breaking year for the agency. Now that we know the exact numbers, let’s look at some of the reasons why they’re in the midst of such a strong year.
How Loto-Québec’s Monopoly Shapes the Province’s Gambling Industry
One of the biggest distinctions between the Quebec casino market and other major North American markets in the US is that the Québec market is completely government-owned. This means that Loto-Québec is primed to capitalize on anyone interested in playing casino games in Québec.
This corporation only has to compete with offshore betting sites. However, these revenue numbers tell us that Québec players are more than happy to play at Loto-Québec locations and its online betting platform.
This could be because of the perception that it is the only legit operator in the province. It also could be an insight into the psychology of Québec players. The agency has made a huge effort to push out competition, and there’s a good chance that this has affected player perception.
How Lotto Revenue Compares to Other Gambling Sectors
Another strong point in favour of the argument Loto-Québec’s monopoly is playing a big role in its record-breaking revenues are the actual numbers themselves. This fiscal year, lottery games have brought in $703.4M in revenue. This is just $200M shy of total casino and gaming hall sector revenues ($906.8M) and nearly $60M more than gaming establishment sector revenues ($645.5M).
While you can play lottery games, instant win, and scratch games at offshore online casinos, Loto-Québec is the only place where you can buy Lotto 6/49 and Lotto Max tickets. These games are an essential part of not just this agency’s revenues, but the lottery industry in Canada as a whole.
As long as these games continue to pay out big jackpots and maintain a presence in Canadian culture, we can expect this, and other, lottery corporations to put up big revenue numbers from their lottery games.
The growth of online gaming
Online gaming wasn’t specifically mentioned as a significant area of growth, but when you dive into the overall report it’s clear that online casino games are driving at least some of the growth that we have seen in the 2024/25 fiscal year.
To start, Loto-Québec has recently changed its rules for jackpots. Before February 2024, you would have to go in-person to claim awards over $600. You can now redeem real money prizes between $600 and $25,000 online. This makes online gambling a more attractive option to players who might have otherwise gone elsewhere.
Another thing worth looking at are some of the recent deals that Loto-Québec has agreed to. For example, in February, a new partnership with Bragg Gaming was announced, which hopes to expand their online casino games library.
This move makes it very obvious that Loto-Québec sees casino games as an area where they can bring in even more revenue in the coming years. We would not be surprised if we see even more of these deals in the near future as the agency continues to fight for dominance against offshore betting sites.
The Best Online Lotto Casinos in Canada
As impressive as Loto-Québec’s revenues are, it’s worth noting that it is not the only place you can play lottery games in Canada. Licensed offshore casino sites provide a great alternative to Loto-Québec when you are looking for something different besides the basic lotto games that we are all familiar with.
See below for our top-rated lottery sites in Canada:
