Summer Slowdown in Canadian Betting: How Sportsbooks Adapt

The summer months are marked by a noticeable drop in user activity in online betting. According to the latest report, this trend became especially clear in Ontario in June 2025, when sports betting volumes fell to their lowest point in 10 months. The reason is simple – a lack of major sporting events. Meanwhile, online casinos continue to attract players and are gradually strengthening their position. Let’s take a look at how operators respond to seasonal fluctuations and which strategies help them weather the downturn, using recent data from iGaming Ontario.

Why summer is a challenging period for sportsbooks

The summer slowdown in sports betting is a seasonal factor that has been observed for several years. June and July traditionally fall outside the usual pattern of activity: the key North American leagues – the NHL and NBA – come to an end, the European football season wraps up, and the NFL kickoff is still weeks away. The number of high-profile games decreases, and with it, the interest of casual bettors. In this article, we’ve covered the sports events Canadians can bet on throughout the year.

In these conditions, it becomes difficult to maintain high levels of traffic and turnover. Most users prefer betting on familiar events – games involving well-known teams, with solid statistics and predictable outcomes. When that range narrows, their motivation to place bets drops sharply.

More experienced and professional bettors turn to alternatives – ATP and WTA tennis tournaments, MLB baseball games, and esports competitions. But these formats demand more time for research and analysis, and newcomers are often reluctant to dive into unfamiliar categories. On top of that, such events typically attract fewer bets and often come with lower odds.

Adding to the situation is the general sense of summer relaxation. It’s a time for vacations, travel, and outdoor activities. People spend less time in front of screens, especially on weekends. Even if an account remains technically active, that doesn’t mean the user is placing bets or following events in real time.

For betting operators, this period is a real challenge – how to keep their audience engaged. Some players temporarily drop out, others shift to online casino games. All of this has a direct impact on revenue.

What happens to traffic and revenue

According to that same report, June brought a noticeable decline to Canada’s first legalized online betting market. Total wagers in Ontario amounted to $7.26 billion – 10% less than in May, when iGaming Ontario surpassed the $8 billion mark for the first time. Despite the drop, the market still shows year-over-year growth: compared to June 2024, turnover increased by 21.4%.

Total gross gaming revenue (GGR) in June reached $306.8 million. That’s 9% lower than in May, but 28% higher than a year earlier. Nearly 80% of that total came from online casinos, leaving sportsbooks in a weaker position.

The dip in activity also affected the number of users. In June, there were 1.01 million active accounts – fewer than in May, and the lowest since November of last year. Although year-over-year growth remains strong (up 20.9% from June 2024), the overall decrease in activity has continued for three straight months.

Average revenue per user stood at $303 – slightly below May’s figure ($316), but above last year’s ($286). This trend suggests that even with declining traffic, operators are managing to retain relatively strong monetization performance.

How online bookmakers deal with the slump

Operators in Ontario are adapting to the summer dip through multi-layered strategies. The main approach is the aggressive promotion of casino products. In June, nearly 80% of all gross gaming revenue came from online casinos, totalling $243.0 million. This is pushing sportsbook platforms to redirect traffic from sports betting to casino games.

Another tactic involves revamping marketing strategies and forming new partnerships. Rivalry, an Ontario-based operator, launched a campaign in collaboration with media platform Basketball Forever, targeting Generation Z. They use short-form visual content, influencers, and storytelling to embed their brand into youth sports culture.

Operators are also adding gamification elements and personalized offers. These tools help offset the sports betting downturn by engaging users in other products through game mechanics. While this may not be entirely fair to users, it’s certainly advantageous for bookmakers. We discussed this in more detail in this article.

Naturally, all of these actions must comply with strict regulations: the AGCO has banned advertisements featuring athletes and mass media promotions through TV or major outlets. Promotions are limited to emails or push notifications, and only with user consent.

Growth opportunities beyond seasonal peaks

A dip in summer traffic doesn’t always mean a stall in development. On the contrary, this period gives operators a chance to rethink their strategy and explore new directions. First and foremost – reaching untapped audiences. Some users who aren’t interested in traditional sports are more likely to place bets on alternative events.

Summer is a good time to go beyond the usual trends. According to iGaming Ontario’s Q1 2025 data, operators are actively diversifying their offerings, including tennis bets, esports, and novelty wagers – such as on reality shows, political outcomes, or pop culture events. Despite the seasonal slump, these segments continue to attract consistent interest.

Additionally, platforms use summer as a window for internal improvements – implementing new interfaces, analyzing user flows, and developing recommendation systems. These upgrades allow operators to enter fall with a technological edge.

The Q2 report emphasizes that even during a decline in traditional sports betting, consistent interest in alternative categories helps sustain overall turnover. Operators that proactively tailor their content to summer audience interests are less likely to lose active users and often gain an advantage in the next high season.

Ontario is one of the few regions where the online betting market is transparently regulated and releases regular reports. This offers a rare glimpse into how seasonality affects user behaviour and operator revenue.

Final thoughts

The summer downturn isn’t just a set of numbers. It’s a chance to understand how modern betting works, which formats remain effective during the “quiet season,” and why online casinos continue to grow while sportsbooks see a decline. For players, it’s an inside look at market mechanics. For industry professionals, it’s a signal for what areas to develop to reduce reliance on the sports calendar. And for everyone else – it’s a real-world example of how a regulated market can transform and adapt in real time.

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