Each week, Canada Sports Betting recaps all the top sports betting and iGaming news in Canada and highlights upcoming events.
Our top stories this week
- CFL Week 7 Odds, Betting Preview: Blue Bombers Back To Their Winning Ways
- 2024 U.S. Presidential Betting Odds: Donald Trump’s Near-Death Experience Hasn’t Ensured His 2024 Victory
- 2024 British Open Golf Odds, Betting Preview: Scheffler, McIlroy Lead Crowded Field As Favourites
Event of the Week
The Open – July 18-21
Golf’s final major of the season, the British Open, is underway at Royal Troon Golf Club in Scotland.
The golfers with early tee times on Thursday were greeted with classic wet and windy British weather conditions, making it very difficult to shoot under par.
Canadians Corey Conners, Nick Taylor, Adam Hadwin, and Mackenzie Hughes are all competing at The Open, while Scottie Scheffler (around +500) and Rory McIlory (around +800) had the shortest outright odds heading into the event.
Tiger Woods, who entered with roughly +25000 odds, is seeking his third career British Open title.
Scheffler (Masters), Xander Schauffele (PGA Championship), and Bryson DeChambeau (U.S. Open) won the other three golf majors this season.
Brian Harman is the defending British Open champion.
Political betting takes centre stage
It’s the slowest time of the year for sports betting operators and sports bettors with three of the four major North American sports leagues now in their off-seasons, but the latest developments in U.S. politics caused shockwaves across wagering markets.
Last week’s attempted assassination of Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania has prompted many operators to temporarily suspend their U.S. betting markets being offered in Ontario due to the sensitive nature of the situation. FanDuel, BetMGM, and DraftKings all pulled their U.S. presidential markets down at certain points following the shooting that injured Trump’s ear.
Many European sportsbooks, such as bet365, elected to keep their U.S. presidential markets up and running. Trump’s odds currently sit at -225 to win the 2024 Presidential Election at bet365, followed by Kamala Harris at +300, and Joe Biden at +1100.
Canada Sports Betting’s Christian Holmes went into more detail in his article earlier this week (linked above) on the latest U.S. political developments and their impacts on betting markets.
Senators’ Pinto opens up on gambling habits
Ottawa Senators forward Shane Pinto has finally opened up about exactly why he was suspended for 41 games for violating the NHL’s gambling policy prior to last season.
“I had my buddies – because I was in Canada – just place bets for me in America,” Pinto explained during an appearance on the “Empty Netters” podcast on Wednesday. “I wasn’t a Canadian citizen so I couldn’t really use a Canadian sportsbook … That’s proxy betting, so that’s obviously a big no-no. It was an illegal act so, obviously, it was a pretty big deal.”
Proxy betting, having someone place a wager on your behalf, is strictly prohibited in the United States. Clearly, Pinto didnt understand the rules surrounding sports betting in Canada, and the province of Ontario where he plays home games for Ottawa. It is legal for American citizens to place sports wagers (in person or with a licensed online sportsbook) while they are located within Ontario’s provincial borders. And NHL rules only prohibit wagering on NHL games, but players are allowed to place legal wagers on other professional sports, such as the NBA and NFL.
The NHL and Pinto didn’t provide any details at the time of his suspension last year, simply stating if was for “activities relating to sports wagering.” The league said there was no evidence Pinto had wagered on NHL games.
Pinto signed a two-year deal to remain with Ottawa earlier this month.
Betway pulls out of U.S. sports betting markets
Canadian bettors may have temporarily panicked when they saw the news last week that Betway plans to shutter its U.S. sports betting operations in the nine states in which it is currently live.
Well, fear not, as Super Group, the parent company of the Betway and Spin brands, plans to continue operating across Canada while maintaining its igaming presence (online slots, table games, live dealer) in the U.S. with two brands from its Spin portfolio (including Jackpot City) in both New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
“As a global business, we constantly evaluate the optimal use of our resources across all markets in which we operate,” said CEO Neal Menashe in a press release. “We have recently concluded an extensive review of our U.S. operations and, at present, we do not see a long-term path to profitability for the sportsbook product. The vast majority of Super Group’s revenue is generated in igaming and, in line with that strategy, we will continue to offer our leading casino product in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. We are open to expanding our U.S. footprint if the right investment or strategic opportunities arise.”
Betway was one of the first brands to launch in Ontario’s regulated igaming market back in April 2022, and Super Group already had a strong foothold in the province due to its existing grey market operations in the jurisdiction. Betway is one of the most popular and recognized sports betting brands in Ontario and across Canada.
