Casino statistics – Market Overview and Odds of Winning

For the past five years, our team of casino experts has been closely analyzing global gambling trends. One of the main observations that we made is that the industry is continually growing, and more revenue is generated annually.

This page will present you with the results of our empirical analysis of the gambling market and then showcase the statistics for each type of casino game. If you’re familiar with the casino world, you know that there are two categories of games of chance:

While skill games might offer you a slightly better house advantage compared to luck-based games where you can only hope that you get a winning combination, according to pure mathematics, your chances of becoming profitable from gambling are next to zero in the long run. However, there are some chances that you might get lucky in the short term and cash out on the profit before spending them on a different game.

We will explore the winning odds and house advantage of both casino game categories in more detail below. 

It’s time to have a look at a general overview of the casino market in Canada!

Canadian Casino Market Statistics

It would be an understatement to say that gambling is a profitable business. Between May and September 2019, the Canadian gambling market’s GDP has increased from $2.51 billion to $2.65 billion. In 2021, the total Canadian gaming revenue was estimated to hit the C$14 billion mark, coming from over 1100 businesses. Additionally, over 45000 are currently employed in the gambling industry.

These numbers are not shocking, since according to market research conducted by Ipsos, 60% of Canadians take part in gambling activities at least once every year.

When surveyed about gambling problems, 73% of participating Canadians responded that the number of gamblers has increased over the past couple of years.  On the bright side, eight out of ten consider that the individual is responsible for controlling their gambling behavior. 

But how much are Canadians spending on gambling? Well, according to Ipsos, 43% of people spend between C$1-C$20 per month, 14% spend between $20 and $100 on average, and 3% gamble over C$100 monthly. The remaining 40% do not spend any money on gambling. Still, the results vary depending on the region where people were surveyed.

Most gamblers are aged between 35-54 years old (65% of them participate in gambling activities every month), while 45% of people from younger age categories(18-34) say that they don’t spend any money on gambling. The high participation level of people aged 35-54 is mostly because statistics show a proportionately large group of people is spending between $1 and $20 on gambling every month.

Now that you have a better understanding of the overall Canadian gambling market, it’s time to move on to the winning statistics of all types of games that you can play on the online casinos listed on our website.

Let’s find out!

Luck games statistics

Despite having the worst odds (ranging from 1 in 5000 to about one in 34 million,) games of chance where luck is the main factor of winning are more popular amongst Canadian gamblers. That’s because these types of games are easy to learn and don’t require too much thinking in advance, just some luck by your side.

According to a floor manager at Caesar’s palace, most gamblers aren’t aware that table games have better odds than slots. He noticed that they are intimidated by the urban legends that card sharks will take their money, so they go for the obvious choice like slots or scratch tickets.

Slots winning statistics

Unlike other games, slots odds are fixed, meaning that no matter how much you play, your winning chances never change. The payouts strictly depend on the machine you’re playing. Therefore, even if two machines might look similar, their odds are entirely different.

When you’re spinning the reels, knowing the average payout percentage is essential for success with the slot machine. Every slot has a pre-built algorithm that determines how much it will pay back to players.

This is usually expressed as a percentage called the Return to Player(RTP) rate, and it represents the house advantage. For example, if a slot has a 95% RTP, it means that for every C$100 you spend, the slot will pay around 95%.

In case you’re worried that the casino is changing the odds to their favor, rest assured! All the gambling platforms available on our site are regulated by a leading gaming authority, meaning that there are specific laws that they must respect to operate legally. To ensure that the odds are not changed and that you’re gambling in a safe environment, check the slot’s description and see if the RTP rate is clearly displayed.

Tips: While many gamblers think that the higher the coin denomination, the more money the machine will pay, it is not always true. Thus, you should always check the paytable before you start spinning the reels.

Scratch Cards

The odds of winning any prize on a scratch ticket varies but is usually set around 1 in 3. Essentially, for all the tickets sold, one-third of them will be winners, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that if you buy three tickets, one of them will be a winner.

There are two key factors that play an essential role in scratch cards odds:

  • How many tickets are printed;
  • The total number of prizes.

For instance, if there are 21 million tickets printed with 6 million prizes available, the overall odds of winnings would be approximately 1 in 3.5 tickets. However, this is only valid on paper. Once the tickets are sent over, it’s impossible to keep track of all the statistics since the number of purchased tickets is continually changing.

Tips: The overall odds of winning are printed on every instant scratch ticket. If you want to find the complete prize structure and the winning odds, head over to OLG.ca. You can also use the official Canadian Lottery site to track your prizes and see the number of claimed and unclaimed rewards.

Bingo

Bingo odds are calculated based on the number of cards in play and the number of drawn balls. In a nutshell, the more cards in play, the lower your chances of winning. The odds are calculated using the formula number of cards you play divided by the total number of cards. Therefore, if the current draw has 1000 cards in play and you only played one card, your winning odds would be 1 in 1000.

Even though all bingo games have a winner, the house will always win over time. The Bingo payouts are lower than the cost of entering, and the operator will keep a portion to host the games. If you search for bingo strategies, some online forums might say that specific numbers occur more frequently. After testing this theory, we’ve discovered that the balls are drawn entirely at random, so if some numbers are called more often than others, that’s pure coincidence.

Strategy-based games statistics

Table games have much better odds than slots or bingo because skill contributes to the outcome. Let’s have a closer look at the odds of winning at table games, assuming that you’re using a basic strategy.

Roulette

Roulette is one of the most popular casino table games and has some great payouts. The winning odds of roulette vary significantly based on your betting style. You can play lots of bets, and some of them(like the Even/Odd, Red/Black Outside bets) have nearly 50% win chance and 1:1 payouts.

However, the inside bets have lower winning odds, but the payouts are more generous. The single number bet, for example, pays 35:1, but the odds are as low as 2.70%. Many Roulette strategies can lower the house advantage by using mathematical systems that can maximize your profits.

We recommend learning how to play roulette before you start spinning the wheel for real money because you can generate income. Remember that no matter what strategy you use, the house will always win in the long run, so avoid playing for an extended period.

Online poker

Poker is widely regarded as the casino games where you have the most influence over your winning odds. While poker is still a luck-based game, since the cards are dealt at random, you can only win if you know how to read your opponents and make the most optimal decisions.

While the casino makes money from poker buy-ins, you will usually have to beat everyone at the table before you can cash out on a serious amount. Thus, it is highly recommended to train and know all the basic poker strategies before you embark on this gambling adventure.

Once you feel prepared to go against real opponents, look for a game that you have a chance of winning. Decide what table you want to join by analyzing the statistics of the poker site, and remember to adjust your buy-ins according to your budget.

Blackjack

The simple game of blackjack comes with the lowest house edge(< 1%). The game is played against the dealer, and your bet is doubled if your hand is higher than his, without going over 21. Still, if you want to play blackjack like a pro, you will need to develop a well-defined strategy before landing numerous winnings in top Canadian casinos for online blackjack.

The most common yet difficult blackjack strategy is card counting. Through the use of probability, you can identify your odds of getting a specific card. Each possible outcome can occur at some point, and you can represent it in a percentage ranging from 0 to 100.

For example, if your odds of winning in a situation are 40%, you should be aware that you have 60% chances of losing. The house edge in blackjack is usually determined by its rules. Still, you have to be prepared for all the possible outcomes if you want to lower it to your advantage.

Be aware: If you’re just getting started with blackjack, we highly recommend trying out a strategy on the free play before you invest real money. That’s because, without a clear understanding of how the game works, your house edge will be increased to approximately 2%.

Final Thoughts

If you’ve made it this far, you probably understand that there is no way you can make a profit from casinos in the long run. We agree that there is a chance that you might have lady luck on your side and hit the jackpot or winning streak in the short-term. Still, there is no guarantee that you will finish a long gaming session with massive winnings since the house has a statistical advantage that cannot be beaten by any strategy available.

If you want to gamble, remember that you should view it as a form of entertainment and never bet money you can’t afford to lose. Instead, set a monthly budget and try to stick to it. This habit will not only bring you better results, it will also help you manage your spendings better. Good luck, and remember to always practice responsible gambling!