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New Brunswick Lotteries and Gaming Corporation gross revenues came in $5.7 million less than expected last year, $8 million lower than two years ago
Published Apr 01, 2026 • Last updated 1 day ago • 3 minute read
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In New Brunswick, ALC.ca is the only legal and regulated online gambling platform. Still, offshore sportsbooks like Bet365, BetMGM, and FanDuel are available in New Brunswick, operating in a grey area rather than a strictly regulated local market. Photo by Adam Huras/Brunswick NewsArticle content
New Brunswick’s gambling revenues are down and provincial Finance Minister René Legacy says the Holt government is looking at legislating online gaming to stop the bleeding.
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New Brunswick Lotteries and Gaming Corporation revenues came in $5.7 million less than expected last year.
They were also $8 million lower than two years ago.
It was an issue raised by Progressive Conservative finance critic Don Monahan as MLAs go department by department and line by line through the Holt government’s newly introduced budget over the next several days.
“Why is it declining? And why are gaming revenues decreasing? And are you seeing reduced participation or increased competition in this field?” Monahan asked.
Legacy responded: “You hit the nail on the head.”
“It’s actually increased competition,” he continued.
“You don’t have to wait too long into a sports game to see all the betting program (advertisements), invites to sports betting or different types of gaming.”
Legacy continued that some other provinces have started regulating it in their respective jurisdictions.
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“We are also looking at that,” he said.
The minister pointed to how it was included in the Holt government’s pre-budget “Difficult Decisions” document.
A section titled “optimizing existing revenue sources” stated that “tax revenue could grow by regulating online gaming companies that currently operate without regulation, aiming to oversee and safeguard existing activities rather than promote increased betting.”
“Some provinces have started regulating their competition,” Legacy added.
When single-event sports betting was legalized in 2021, the federal government left it to the provinces to manage 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 are available in New Brunswick, operating in a grey area rather than a strictly 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 total operator revenue since its launch, according to new data published earlier this month by iGaming Ontario, the agency created to manage online gambling in the province.
The 2025 calendar year alone saw licensed operators handle approximately $98.3 billion in total wagers and generate $4 billion gross gaming revenue.
That’s as Alberta gets set to launch online regulated gambling in July.
Proponents of Ontario’s online gambling market have praised consumer protections that include a ban on gambling advertisements that feature current or retired athletes, though they’re still allowed to appear in spots promoting social responsibility.
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But that’s while experts warn that allowing new forms of online sports betting easily accessible on phones risks creating a generation of problem gamblers.
The minister also said the Atlantic Lottery Corporation is working to offer similar live sports betting options as competitors.
“ALC is also stepping up their game. They’re looking at new programs, different ways of essentially providing that service to the public,” he said.
“Obviously, we’re big fans of ALC because it’s a regulated environment, and they also take care of the social responsibility.
“So we were looking forward to seeing some of these programs, but we are also studying the potential to look at those other sites that are working in our market, because they’re all online – seeing if we can’t regulate 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 Lotteries and Gaming Corporation would bring in $185.3 million in gross revenue last year.
It ended up being $179.6 million, $5.7 million less.
For the current fiscal year that just began, the province is predicting $183.7 million.
It’s a trend that’s going in the wrong direction.
In 2024-25, lotteries and gaming corp revenues were $187.6 million.
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