Electricity prices: Canada, USA and Australia

Todayville Content Team

Published

3 years ago

5 minute read

If you’re only used to paying for utilities in one country, you probably have no idea how average prices compare with what consumers pay in other parts of the world.

There are all sorts of variables involved, of course, but it’s interesting to get a broad understanding of the state of play in a handful of major nations. So to that end, let’s explore electricity costs in Canada, the US and Australia.

America

With record gas prices still being recorded, switching to an electric vehicle has never seemed more attractive to US consumers. But if you were to make the leap, would the price of domestic power be a prohibitive factor?

Well, across the OECD countries, the average electricity price sits at just over 24 cents for a kilowatt hour (kwh) of energy. In America, the residential average is just under 14 cents per kwh.

This is impressively low, and comes in spite of the fact that there has actually been a 4.3 percent annual increase in typical costs.

Canada

Some see Canada as holding the key to energy stability. With its ample natural resources and smaller population, it follows in the footsteps of the US by enjoying cheaper than average electricity.

For 2020, Canada’s kwh costs were pegged at around 18 cents. Again, this represents a rise from the previous year, following the general upward trend in power generation expenses globally.

Australia

As a country the size of a continent, with a modest population, Australia has more in common with Canada than the US in many ways.

This is reflected in its electricity market, where competition between energy companies is significant enough to ensure that consumers have access to below average prices for power.

The most recent available stats place Australia’s averages at 19.21 cents per kwh. Interestingly this actually represents the lowest level of pricing seen in the past eight years, which suggests that Australia is actually bucking the trend of the price rises seen elsewhere.

Understanding the factors at play

Now that you have an idea of how much variation there is in electricity costs between three developed, progressive Western nations, it’s worth unpacking what can cause these differences, and what other factors are at play.

First, there’s the part played by the government in terms of taxing the different types of power that are available. In Australia, for example, around a tenth of the total costs that’s passed onto consumers is used to fund environmental programs and counteract the damage done by energy sources still powered by fossil fuels.

Then there’s the cost of actually getting the electricity to the consumer. Australia’s large size and dispersed population mean that building and maintaining the network accounts for almost half the cost of provision. Meanwhile in the US, where there are more than ten times the number of people, the economies of scale make the provision of power more affordable on a per customer basis.

Finally there’s the factor of resources. Whenever a nation needs to import the fuel required to generate electricity, rather than being able to source it closer to home, prices will be higher, and also more susceptible to fluctuations on the global stage.

Final thoughts

For the time being the US is home to cheaper electricity costs than Canada or Australia, but if price rises continue apace then America might eventually overtake its neighbor to the north, and also eclipse its ally in the southern hemisphere.

Consumers in all countries should keep a keen eye on energy prices where they live, and aim to switch to the best value deals from providers where possible.

Todayville Content Team

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Todayville Content Team works with a wide variety of clients to develop compelling content solutions. Our experienced team develops strategic campaigns that use video and storytelling, digital advertising and social media to help our clients position and distinguish themselves in the market.

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The bizarre story of Taro Tsujimoto

Published on March 28, 2025

Todayville Content Team

The National Hockey League (NHL) has seen its fair share of strange moments, but few compare to the bizarre and hilarious tale of Taro Tsujimoto, a player who never existed. His “selection” in the 1974 NHL Draft remains one of the most legendary pranks in hockey history. If you want to wager on actual players, making the 1xBet app download is definitely a great idea.

In the 1970s, the NHL Draft was a much less glamorous event than today. It was a tedious process conducted over the phone, with teams calling in their picks. The 3 biggest highlights of what happened during that year’s draft were:

the draft dragged on for hours;
there were multiple rounds and teams selecting unknown prospects from obscure leagues;
frustrated with the monotony, Buffalo Sabres general manager Punch Imlach decided to have a little fun.

As the 11th round approached, Imlach instructed his team’s representative to draft Taro Tsujimoto, a supposed forward from the Tokyo Katanas of the Japan Ice Hockey League. The name sounded authentic enough. The league officials, unfamiliar with Japanese hockey, accepted the pick without question. By downloading the 1xBet app you will also be able to wager on great NHL teams too.

A small problem

There was a small problem with all of this, as 2 things didn’t exist: Tsujimoto and the Tokyo Katanas. Imlach had completely fabricated the player as a joke, taking advantage of the NHL’s lack of verification. When it comes to NHL wagers, there is no better platform than the 1xBet Canada site.

For weeks, the league listed Tsujimoto as an official draft pick, and even some newspapers reported on Buffalo’s mysterious new Japanese prospect. Eventually, the Sabres admitted the hoax, and the NHL was forced to retroactively erase the selection from its records.

Despite being a fictional player, Taro Tsujimoto took on a life of his own. Buffalo Sabres fans embraced the prank, and over the years, his name has become a cult legend in hockey culture. Some fans even wore jerseys with “Tsujimoto” on the back. The joke persisted so much that when EA Sports released NHL video games, players could occasionally find Tsujimoto in the game’s draft pool as a hidden Easter egg.

More than just a prank, the story of Taro Tsujimoto highlights 2 things: the quirks of old-school sports management and the creativity of one of hockey’s most colorful executives. Today, with the draft process being highly scrutinized and broadcast live, such a prank would be impossible. But Tsujimoto’s legacy lives on as one of hockey’s greatest inside jokes. What is not a joke are the great rewards that a platform like the Canadian 1xBet site can give you.

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60% of Canadians gamble each month – why the industry is going from strength to strength

Published on March 26, 2025

Todayville Content Team

When it comes to regulating gambling, Canada has a somewhat relaxed approach. The Canadian Gaming Association oversees the industry, but it’s up to individual provinces to enact and enforce any laws relating to online casino gaming, sports betting, traditional casino gaming, and other forms of gambling.

Canada’s online casino gaming laws are not totally clear, but individual provinces are starting to put this right. Ontario was the first and did so when it launched its own regulated igaming market in April 2022. Now some other provinces have followed suit, creating a safer igaming environment for players in those provinces. Below is a look at gambling in Canada compared to other parts of the world, at gaming laws in Alberta compared to other provinces, and at the future of the Canadian, US, and UK gambling industries.

Canada: a forever love of gambling

Gambling in some form or other has always been popular in Canada. Way back in the 1990s, research found six in ten Canadians (60%) gambled every month. Additionally, four in ten (43%) spent between 1 and 20 Canadian dollars on gambling. Fast forward to today and the Canadian gambling market is worth 14.2 billion US dollars as of January 2024, according to data on the website of consumer and market data company Statista.

It seems Canada enjoys wagering just as much as two other countries that love a gamble: the US and the UK. Data on the Statista website shows that 49% of US adults took part in gambling activities in 2023. Fifty-six percent said their attitude towards gambling had relaxed, compared to the 50% of 2019.

The UK returned similar stats for the same year. Forty-eight percent of adults reported engaging in gambling activity. Online casinos generated the most gross gambling yield in 2023, but it was the nation’s National Lottery that people played the most.

Alberta: following Ontario’s lead

The regulatory developments in Ontario have triggered movement in Alberta. In May 2024, Bill 16, the Red Tape Reduction Amendment Act, made it through the process and later received Royal Assent to become law. The act removes the monopoly of gaming by a single government entity and will allow private operators, licensed by Alberta’s provincial regulator, to provide online gaming services in Alberta, meaning players will have a choice of more than one Alberta online casino to play at.

The regulation transforms Alberta into one of the more liberal provinces when it comes to online gambling, others being Quebec, Ontario, and British Columbia.

Several provinces, such as Novia Scotia and Northwest Territories, have no provincially regulated online gaming sites. Some also restrict betting on horse racing and/or other types of sports betting, obliging citizens to use international betting sites for freedom from caps and betting on as many events as they wish.

What lies ahead for the Canadian, US, and UK gambling industries?

Canada’s appetite for gambling is clear, and the industry’s online sector is beginning to thrive. Ontario has enjoyed vast success by creating its own regulated market, one which, in just its first year, saw Canadians place billions in wagers and the industry itself generate more than a billion in total gaming revenue.

Canada can expect to see other provinces follow Ontario’s lead and allow private operators to provide services in the province under license. The purpose of the regulation is player protection. Any province that develops a regulated market will focus on this, so there will also be regulations around the advertising of gambling services.

The US

Gambling online is the future for the US, too, although states are slow to legalize it. As of September 2024, 38 states had legalized sports betting, following the US Supreme Court’s ruling that states could regulate sports gambling directly.

Despite allowing sports betting, some states only permit in-person betting, and only a few states allow online casino gaming. Operators believe online casino gaming is the future of gambling.

The UK

In the UK, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) will get bigger and bigger. Companies have realized AI can enhance players’ experience and are embracing it more and more. For instance, sports betting websites can use it to crunch data and provide iGamers with stats and other data to make better betting decisions. They’re also understanding they can use AI to prioritize content players are likely to be interested in and to personalize their offerings and services to players’ preferences.

Canada enjoys gambling as much as America and the UK. Although laws around igaming are more of a grey area in Canada, some provinces are clearing the issue up by creating regulated markets and experiencing great success. As time goes by, more are sure to follow.