June 4, 2025 – Despite Quebec Finance Minister Éric Girard’s call for Crown corporations to contribute $1 billion toward reducing the province’s historic budget deficit, Loto-Québec has shown no progress this year. According to its 2024-2025 annual report released today, net income remains stagnant at $1.5 billion, highlighting a long-term decline in performance when adjusted for inflation over the past 20 years.
Revenue slipping through the Government’s fingers
“Quebec’s population and economy have grown a lot over the past 20 years, but Loto-Québec’s returns to the government have stayed the same. Since Quebecers are playing just as much, it’s clear that more and more of that activity is happening outside of Loto-Québec — which shows the need to regulate the private gaming market,” said Ariane M. Gauthier, spokesperson for the Quebec Online Gaming Coalition.
Last May, Loto-Québec President Jean-François Bergeron admitted before a National Assembly committee that the state-owned corporation captures only about 50% of the online casino and sports betting market, a sector that is growing in popularity across the globe.
No online gaming portrait at Loto-Québec
The Quebec Online Gaming Coalition deplores the fact that Loto-Québec is the only lottery corporation in Canada that does not disclose clear figures on its online gaming activities in its financial statements. It is difficult to evaluate an organization’s performance with so little transparency.
” Loto-Québec may be ignoring that half of players are using private online gaming sites, but it still owes the government and taxpayers a clear and honest view of the situation so that they can assess whether it is fulfilling its mission. It’s time to ask whether Loto-Québec’s online gaming monopoly still makes sense. Ignoring the issue could cost Quebec valuable revenue it can’t afford to lose,” added Ms. Gauthier.
About us
The Quebec Online Gaming Coalition is an industry organization that brings together the largest private online gaming companies. It seeks to work with the Quebec government and stakeholders in the responsible gaming community to develop a regulatory framework that protects all players while generating revenue for the government through a system of taxes and licensing fees. Coalitionjeuligneqc.ca