Online Poker Trends in Canada: What’s Hot in 2025?

Online poker continues to go from strength to strength following its transition into the mainstream in Canada. Players now have more options than ever before for playing poker online, while sites have the tools needed to improve user experience. 

Here’s a look at the major online poker trends in Canada in mid-2025.

Gaming Industry Growth

According to Statista, gambling revenues in Canada are expected to reach $15.9 billion by the end of 2025 and demonstrate a growth rate of 2.95 percent between then and 2030. 

Online casinos are taking a decent slice of the market. In 2024, Canada’s iGaming market generated revenues of approximately $3.91 billion across all segments, with the majority of these revenues generated at online casinos. The source projects the industry to be worth $8.72 billion by 2030.

This demonstrates a promising direction for the industry as a whole in 2025 and heading into the next few years. 

Online Payments

Although online payments have now been around for a long time, the evolution in speed and ease has increased the popularity of online poker sites operating in Canada. Players benefit from having a quick and easy way to make deposits and withdraw from their poker accounts, while site operators enjoy lower transaction fees. 

Online payments have become so convenient for online poker in Canada that sites like Bodog offer boosted bonuses to encourage players to use different methods. Bodog offers a generous 100 percent match bonus for standard payment methods, which increases to a 150 percent match bonus when certain others are used. 

AI Tools – A Double-Edged Sword

In 2025, poker has seen a predictable rise in the use of AI across many industries. While the world focuses on freely available LLM tools, AI continues to make an impact in other areas in a very real and practical sense. 

AI has proved incredibly useful when it comes to improving player experience. For example, sites are increasingly using AI to personalize poker lobbies and show players games that are likely to capture their interest.

AI tools are also used off the table by aspiring and top-ranked players who use GTO solvers and equity calculators to plug leaks and improve their strategy. However, there are concerns that real-time AI assistance could be used during play, which would give some players an unfair advantage. 

In the online poker industry, AI is a double-edged sword. It brings with it an array of cybersecurity and game integrity risks, but also offers plenty of opportunities for platform developers to integrate new features.

Fair Play and Anonymous Tables

For a long time, table selection was considered part and parcel of cash game strategy. Experienced players would deliberately seek out soft tables or even hunt down individuals to play against who are likely to lose chips, known as “stalking”. 

This has all changed recently with the introduction of fair play protections. On some sites, players can no longer select which cash game table they want to play at and will instead be allocated a seat based on their stakes. On other sites, screen names can even be hidden to prevent stalking. 

This change is designed to level the playing field for recreational players and create a more welcoming environment. In the next few years, it’s likely to be the norm. 

Focus on Responsible Gaming Tools

As the Canadian online poker market continues to expand, there has been an increased focus on responsible gaming.

Players can set deposit caps, session limits, and cooling-off periods, as well as opt for self-exclusion for a given amount of time. Online poker platforms have a responsibility to provide these tools to players to encourage a safe and enjoyable gaming environment. 

Conclusion

The Canadian online poker market is thriving. As the industry continues to grow, platforms will place more emphasis on AI tools for security and user experience, as well as responsible gaming tools for player safety. 

Meanwhile, online payment methods continue to offer a fast, cheap alternative to traditional transactions, a saving which poker platforms are starting to give back to their players in the form of enhanced bonuses.