With the passing of sport betting bill C-218 in 2021, the betting landscape in Canada is set to change forever. Players can now bet on single sports events, without any fear of breaking the law.
Two regions in Canada are setting themselves up as new leaders in the field, with an appetite to make sports betting easier.
Here’s a closer look at Montreal and Ontario, and how big sports betting companies might play a role in the future.
Thriving Market
Although Ontario is receiving a lot of attention with its huge plans for a complete iGaming service, Montreal have very quietly been just getting on with things.
Sports betting has always been popular in the region, with a groundswell of support from the public, so the passing of Bill C-218 was met with approval.
In other areas, there has had to be huge campaigns from leading betting firms with lobbying experience, the likes of bwin to give an example, to help raise awareness and encourage participation.However, Montreal was keen to be involved from the start and introduced changes to take effect as soon as the bill was passed into law in August 2021.
From August 2021, residents could place a single event bet using Mise-o-jeu+, the state online lottery platform that’s dedicated to sports.
There’s still a long way to go to launch a full and varied sports betting platform in Montreal, but the appetite from players is evident. And with large betting firms finding a second home in Montreal, launching extensive advertising campaigns for sports betting, it seems only a matter of time before things expand even further.
Ontario Set to Launch
It’s been possible to bet on single sports events since the Safe and Regulated Sports Betting Act, C-218, was passed into law in August 2021.
But like elsewhere in Canada, this just provided the ability for state platforms to be provided, and nothing more. Ontario is almost ready to launch its new regulated sports betting market, which will welcome commercial betting firms, allowing them to offer their sports betting services in the region for the very first time.
The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario has been very keen to establish an open market enabling operators such as bwin, and its fellow betting firms to participate fully in offering services to players. One of the biggest sports betting firms in the US, Bet MGM, backed by global giant Entain, has announced plans to expand into Canada. More are set to follow, although some have already revealed they have been approved for a sportsbook.
In the last eight months, there has been a flurry of activity in Ontario, with licences issued ahead of the launch day and lots of advertising.
It’s expected that the commercial market will open officially on 4th April 2022. Still, with a Deloitte Canada survey showing that only one in five of Canadians know that single event betting is now legal, it’s clear that there’s going to be a lot more marketing needed in both Ontario and beyond.
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