If you had brought up UFOs in a serious conversation a decade ago, you probably would have been laughed out of the room. Now firmly in the mainstream, UFO speculation is everywhere, from the news, to the dinner table, to the skies above Ontario.

Canadians are clearly interested in the phenomenon based on a recent 1,150 per cent spike in Google search traffic for the term UFO in the country.

Inspired by that spike in search traffic, online gambling website BonusFinder Canada looked into the odds of seeing a UFO in your home province, because, naturally, we have to gamble on literally every conceivable variable in the universe.

Experts analyzed data from the National UFO Reporting Centre State Report Index, a U.S. non-government agency that also tracks sightings in Canada and Europe. Data was pulled all the way back from the start of recordkeeping in 1998 to determine where the hottest spots for UFO sightings are in Canada.

And it turns out that Ontario is the top province, and Toronto is the number one city in all of Canada for UFO sightings, which shouldn't come as too much of a shocker based on their populations relative to the rest of the country.

Reported UFO sightings by Canadian province/territory since 1998. Image via BonusFinder Canada.

Four Ontario cities ranked in the top 10 Canadian UFO hotspots, and at the top of the list, Toronto registered 263 UFO sightings since records began, outpacing all other cities in the country during this period.

Reported UFO sightings by Canadian city since 1998. Image via BonusFinder Canada.

The average UFO sighting in Toronto lasted an average of 16.33 minutes, and most witness reports describe lights, spherical or cylindrical shapes.

According to the report, "one recorded sighting depicts an oval light, orange in the center and fading to yellow/white, flew north-west to south-east across the sky, apparently moving faster than an airplane."

Previous UFO accounts in Toronto include wild descriptions of flying donut-shaped and jellybean-like objects.

Population is not necessarily the determining factor here, as Calgary (148 sightings) managed to outrank the more populous Vancouver (144 sightings), which were both only a few sightings ahead of Ottawa (131).

Nick Pope, a former UFO investigator for the British Government, says that besides the sheer number of sightings, "one of the big surprises was the average duration of sightings."

"People have this idea that UFOs are here one minute, gone the next, with sightings lasting only a few seconds, and with witnesses getting only a brief glimpse," says Pope.

"The new data shows that people are seeing UFOs for much longer periods of time than is commonly realized, which is why we're getting more and more photos and videos, as people have time to take out their smartphones."

Pope says that "intense speculation that followed the shooting down of the Chinese spy balloon and three other objects that have variously been described as 'unidentified' and even as 'UFOs' has thrust this subject into the political and media spotlight, and even led to [U.S.] President Biden addressing the nation."

"Regardless of the truth about these various incidents, it's focused attention on the fact that UFO sightings - whatever their cause - have serious and profound defense, national security and air safety issues."

"We're now watching the skies closer than ever before, and even if some of these mystery objects turn out to be balloons, this new scrutiny is bound to help us figure out more about other sightings, which likely have very different causes."