Each Thursday, Sports Handle recaps all the top sports betting news in Canada, highlights the event of the week, and takes a look ahead at some of the most intriguing games to bet on over the weekend.
Our top Canadian sports stories this week
- Alberta’s Regulators Still Negotiating With Potential Sports Betting Operators
- CFL Week 17 Wagering Preview: Elks Under Pressure At Home Vs. Surging Alouettes
- Power Plays: A Look At Futures Odds And Props For All Seven Canadian NHL Teams
- As Season Nears, No Calm Will Meet Leafs’ Storm
Game of the week
Baltimore Orioles @ New York Yankees — Sept. 30
Yankees slugger Aaron Judge launched his 61st home run of the season Wednesday night at Rogers Centre in Toronto to tie Roger Maris’ American League record. Ontario operator theScore Bet also got some great exposure after Judge’s rocket directly hit its advertisement banner in left field.
Aaron Judge hits @theScoreBet sign and also home run No. 61! 😎💪 https://t.co/rzgTBzXhhp
— theScore Bet (@theScoreBet) September 29, 2022
New York, which has seven regular-season games remaining, will be back in action Friday night at Yankee Stadium when it welcomes the Orioles for a three-game set. With the Yankees having already clinched the AL East title, Judge can focus on breaking Maris’ record and claiming the league’s Triple Crown.
Judge is -162 at FanDuel to claim the Triple Crown by leading the AL in batting average, home runs, and RBIs. The outfielder has a massive lead in homers (ahead by 23) and RBIs (by 11), but his .313 batting average ties him with Minnesota Twins infielder Luis Arraez. Boston Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts is close behind with a .309 mark and could realistically catch them.
Judge is the runaway favorite for AL MVP this year with -20000 odds at FanDuel.
The Score Bet gets $2.1 million in value from its outfield signage from this clip played on TV, Digital & Social Media through 10am today, per @ApexMarketing. https://t.co/UapjWqXYTo
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) September 29, 2022
More operators live and coming to Ontario
BetVictor officially launched in Ontario this week, bringing the total number of gaming operators in the province to 27, excluding the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation’s PROLINE products.
Founded in 1946, BetVictor is an online gambling company headquartered in Gibraltar that will be offering Ontario patrons a sportsbook, iCasino games, live-dealer games, and esports betting.
The Alcohol and Gaming Commission also awarded licenses to Apollo Entertainment Limited for seven different online casino domains this week, although those sites won’t be able to go live until the operator secures an operating agreement with iGaming Ontario.
Several operators are expected to launch in the province shortly, including Kaizen Gaming’s betano.ca, Bet99, BetRegal, and Pinnacle.
Congrats to @BetVictorCanada who joins the legal and regulated igaming market in Ontario. BetVictor offers its customers a sportsbook, casino games and live casino options!
URL: https://t.co/OeOMRZREtU#PlaywithConfidence #onlinecasino #SportsGambling #safergambling pic.twitter.com/2kMCK8qvAb
— iGaming Ontario (@iGamingOntario) September 27, 2022
Ontario DFS players get support
The local outrage over the demise of daily fantasy sports games in Ontario has prompted the Fantasy Sports & Gaming Association to take action.
The FSGA, the only national organization representing the interests of 60 million fantasy sports players in the United States and Canada, is urging players in the province to fill out an online form in an attempt to get the attention of lawmakers.
Although DFS is not strictly forbidden by Canadian and Ontario law, there were significant issues surrounding liquidity, tax rate, and licensing fees that prompted major DFS operators like DraftKings and FanDuel to cease their DFS operations in the province after the launch of Ontario’s regulated market on April 4.
Some operators such as OwnersBox and Drafters are still operating in the province, but it’s unclear how long these operators will be able to continue to offer DFS to Ontarians without games becoming ring-fenced.
Canada’s gambling laws are much different than those implemented in U.S. jurisdictions, and any legal changes required to get DFS back up and running in the province will need to be made through the Ministry of the Attorney General — not Ontario’s regulator, the AGCO.
Hey Ontario? Upset you couldn't play DFS for Week 2 of NFL? Or upset you can't enter a paid season-long contest? Let your elected officials know you want all your fantasy sports back by contacting them here: https://t.co/yeaEY6s15H pic.twitter.com/fcEZ20dC2b
— FSGA (@FSGAtweets) September 19, 2022
Kambi to provide retail platform for Niagara
Another major step has been taken toward creating a retail sportsbook in the Niagara Falls region of Ontario.
Kambi Group announced Thursday it will be expanding its gambling partnership with Mohegan Gaming to include a retail sports betting platform in addition to the existing PlayFallsview app. A total of 36 sports betting kiosks will be installed across the Fallsview Casino Resort and Casino Niagara properties, and there are plans to convert Casino Niagara’s sports bar into a retail sportsbook.
Fallsview Casino Resort and Casino Niagara are both owned by the OLG. Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment, a developer and operator of entertainment resorts in the U.S., Canada, and South Korea, has managed the day-to-day operations of the two major Niagara Falls casinos since 2019.
OLG, the Ontario government, and industry stakeholders are still working on getting the necessary approvals and establishing the legal structure to get retail sports betting up and running in Ontario, outside of OLG’s PROLINE retail product that is already offered across the province.
“With the changing landscape in gaming, we are working collaboratively with the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario and the province to develop sports betting in Ontario. Our partnership with Kambi will continue to elevate our offerings at Niagara Casinos,” Richard Taylor, president of Niagara Casinos, said in a press release.
Built on a cliff overlooking the world-famous Horseshoe Falls, Fallsview Casino Resort is the largest gaming resort facility in Canada with over 3,500 slot machines and 130 gaming tables, in addition to a 372-room hotel.
