NB is looking at legislation to curb the decline in gambling revenues

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New Brunswick’s gambling revenue is down, and provincial Finance Minister Rene Legsey says the Holt government is looking to legislate online gaming to stem the bleeding.

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New Brunswick Lottery and Gaming Corp.’s revenues fell $5.7 million from last year’s expectations.

They were also $8 million lower than two years ago.

It was an issue raised by Progressive Conservative finance critic Dan Monahan as lawmakers go department-by-department and line-by-line through the Holt government’s newly introduced budget over the next few days.

“Why is it declining? And why are gaming revenues declining? And are you seeing less participation or more competition in this segment?” Monahan asked.

“You hit the nail on the head,” replied Legacy.

“It’s actually increased competition,” he continued.

“You don’t have to wait long for a sports game to see the entire betting program (advertisements), inviting sports betting or different types of games.”

Heritage continued to say that a number of other provinces have started organizing it in their respective areas.

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“We’re looking at that, too,” he said.

The minister pointed out how this was included in the Holt Government’s pre-budget “difficult decision” document.

A section titled “Optimizing Existing Revenue Sources” stated that “Tax revenue could be increased by regulating online gaming companies that currently operate without regulation, with the goal of monitoring and protecting existing activities rather than increasing wagering.”

“Some provinces have started to organize their own competitions,” added Heritage.

When single-event sports betting became legal in 2021, the federal government left it to the provinces to regulate online gambling and lotteries in their respective jurisdictions.

In New Brunswick, ALC.ca is the only legal and regulated online gambling platform.

Still, offshore sportsbooks like Bet365, BetMGM, and FanDuel exist in New Brunswick, operating in a gray area rather than a tightly regulated local market.

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Meanwhile, in 2022, Ontario became the first province in Canada to regulate online gambling.

The move allowed private operators to offer legal casino games, poker, and single-event sports betting.

Doing so has generated more than $10 billion in operator revenue since it began, according to new data released earlier this month by iGaming Ontario, the agency created to regulate online gambling in the province.

The 2025 calendar year alone saw licensed operators handle approximately $98.3 billion in total payroll and generate $4 billion in gross gaming revenue.

It comes as Alberta prepares to launch online regulated gambling in July.

Supporters of Ontario’s online gambling market have praised consumer protections that include a ban on gambling ads featuring current or retired athletes, although they are still allowed to appear in places promoting social responsibility.

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But it comes as experts warn that allowing new forms of online sports betting is creating a generation of gamblers more easily accessible on phones.

The minister also said that Atlantic Lottery Corporation is working to offer the same live sports betting options as competitors.

“ALC is also stepping up its game. They’re looking at new programs, different ways to actually deliver that service to the public,” he said.

“Obviously, we’re big fans of ALC because it’s an organized environment, and they also take social responsibility into account.

“So we’re looking forward to seeing some of those programs, but we’re also studying the possibility of looking at other sites that operate in our market, because they’re all online — see if we can’t organize them, or some of them, at least in New Brunswick.”

An important revenue stream is on the line.

The Holt government estimated that the New Brunswick Lottery and Gaming Corporation would bring in $185.3 million in gross revenue last year.

It ended up with $179.6 million, down $5.7 million.

For the current fiscal year, which has just begun, the province estimates $183.7 million.

This is a trend that is going in the wrong direction.

In 2024-25, lottery and gaming company revenue was $187.6 million.

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