As Canada‘s most populous province, Ontario predictably dominated the headlines when it completed a highly anticipated launch of its private iGaming and online sports betting market in April.
With professional franchises from the NBA, NHL, MLS, and the CFL included in the province, bettors, teams, and the government itself looked to capitalize on the sports betting craze.
The Toronto Blue Jays emerged by the end of the MLB season as a sleeper to win the World Series, only to see their season end in a wild card round loss to the Seattle Mariners. In November, the Toronto Argonauts prevented the Winnipeg Blue Bombers from capturing a CFL three-peat with a 24-23 win in the 109th Grey Cup. From all indications, the marquee postseason events have resonated well among Ontarians in the first year of the commercial sports betting market.
However, iGaming Ontario received criticism from numerous stakeholders for failing to release sports betting figures until late August, when the first quarterly report was released nearly five months after the launch of the market. By comparison, most U.S. states release monthly reports, and regulators in neighboring New York typically release commercial sports betting figures on a weekly basis.
@iGamingOntario just released Q2 data: pic.twitter.com/Yz1qvZFRWa
— gregwarrenBC (@GregwarrenBC) October 12, 2022
Ontarians placed $4.076 billion (CAD) in total iCasino, online sports betting, and online poker wagers for a three-month period through June 30, resulting in $162 million in total gaming revenue. Over the second quarter through Sept. 30, Ontario bettors wagered more than $6 billion, as six additional operators entered the market. For the period, operators generated revenue of approximately $267 million, a spike of around 65% from the previous quarter.
Here is a month-by-month review of the top Canada sports betting stories of 2022.
December
Bet99, NHL Make Deal For Free-To-Play Game
Canadian Regulators Get Aggressive, TKO UFC Betting Amid Scandal
James Krause Accused of Inside Betting on UFC Fighters Leading to a UFC Betting Ban in Ontario, Canadahttps://t.co/FNpVAiS8fM
— PokCas (@pokcas) December 10, 2022
November
Completion Of In-House Tech Stack Allows theScore To Offer Expanded Parlays
World Cup Handle Plummets After Canada’s Exit
Canada Notebook:
– UFC betting banned in Ontario
– World Cup handle plummets after Canada bows out
– Hockey fans fed up with sportsbook ads, and more(by @MattRybaltowski and Jill Dorson)https://t.co/QYGMlCMSQw
— Sports Handle (@sports_handle) December 2, 2022
NFL, Genius Sports Strike Live Video Streaming Deal With 3 Canadian Sportsbooks
Saskatchewan Launches Single-Event Sports Betting In Time For Grey Cup
October
Ontario Launches In-Person Sports Betting At Retail Casinos In Province
Pinnacle Launches In Ontario’s Regulated IGaming Market As Transition Deadline Nears
"Sports Betting News: Pinnacle Set To Launch Licensed Sportsbook In Ontario Next Week #News": https://t.co/2XZcFt8a6f
— Global News Report (@robinsnewswire) October 20, 2022
Ontario’s Regulator To End Transition Period For Unregulated Operators And Suppliers
September
Daily Fantasy Sports Options Limited In Ontario At Onset Of NFL Season
August
Canada’s Single-Event Wager-versary: A Look Back At The Past Year
BetMGM Becomes Official Sportsbook Partner Of The NFL In Canada
Congratulations to our friends at @MGMResortsIntl on their new #partnership extension with the @NFL.
The multi-year #deal will see @BetMGM become one of the League's Official Sportsbook Partners in Canada (per @Cision).#BetMGM was among the first operators in Ontario. pic.twitter.com/pCq9OnGlyq
— TicketManager (@TicketManager) August 10, 2022
July
Paul Burns Makes Canadian History With Sports Betting Hall Of Fame Induction
Burns: No Rollbacks On Rigorous Ontario Sports Betting Ad Standards For Now
PointsBet Canada Partners With Bottcher Curling Team
June
CFL Updating Its Ancient Match-Fixing Policy To Reflect Recent Regulation Changes
Why Are Ontarians Betting More On Basketball Than Hockey?
May
Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment Becomes First Land-Based Operator Licensed In Ontario
Ontario’s Regulator Fines PointsBet, BetMGM For Advertising Infractions
April
FanDuel, PokerStars Form Joint Partnership With Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment
Toronto Blue Jays Partner With theScore Bet
The Toronto Blue Jays have taken advantage of the newly deregulated betting market in Ontario by signing a ten-year deal with TheScore Bet that will see a branded sportsbar opened at the Rogers Centre #MLB #SportsBiz #BlueJayshttps://t.co/uc0uYNkPDo
— SportsPro (@SportsPro) April 8, 2022
Ontario Takes Balanced Approach With Sports Betting Integrity Monitoring Standards
March
OLG Becomes NHL’s First Official Sportsbook Partner In Canada
BetMGM Announces NHL Star Connor McDavid As Newest Brand Ambassador
BetMGM has announced the signing of Connor McDavid as its newest brand ambassador.
McDavid, the NHL's reigning MVP, becomes BetMGM's first active pro athlete from the four major sports to become an ambassador. pic.twitter.com/xft7PYWY8n
— Boardroom (@boardroom) March 4, 2022
February
OLG Becomes First Official Sportsbook Partner Of The NFL In Canada
January
PointsBet Canada Announces Partnership With NHL Alumni Association
