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
- Thursday Night Football Betting Preview (Sept. 12): Bills vs. Dolphins Predictions
- CFL Week 15 Odds, Betting Preview: Calgary Stampedes Its Way Back Into The Win Column
- Play Alberta Announces New Pact To Become Exclusive Sports Betting And Online Gaming Partner Of Edmonton Oilers
- PWHL Rekindles Excitement With New Team Brands
- Can Pro Tryouts Help Pair Of Canadian Teams?
- Who Is Canada’s Best Hope For A Big 5 Championship In 2024/25?
- Leafs Bolster Winger Depth, But Questions Still Remain
BCLC launches new digital retail PROLINE sportsbook
Paper sports betting slips are now officially a thing of the past in British Columbia.
Last week, the British Columbia Lottery Corporation launched its digital retail sportsbook, PROLINE, across all B.C. lottery terminals, replacing the old Sports Action retail sports betting system in the province.
Toto (pools product), oddset 2-outcome, oddset 3-outcome, moneyline, pointspread, totals and props, single-event betting and dynamic odds are now being offered for the first time at retail locations.
“This is an exciting evolution for BCLC and for sports bettors across the province,” said BCLC Chief Operating Officer Dan Beebe, in an email release. “PROLINE offers an updated and innovative sports betting experience and is the pivotal next step for BCLC in offering exciting new sports products to our valued players.”
To play, players will need to download the new BCLC PROLINE app on their phone, create their digital bet slips in the app, and receive an app-generated QR code, which they can bring to any retail lottery location to scan and receive a printed ticket. As added flexibility, players can also create their PROLINE bets on their laptops or tablets through the PROLINE website.
A quick glance at the PROLINE website on Thursday morning revealed a few things. Firstly, the vig is really pumped up on most markets. For example, the odds on both sides of the game total for Thursday night’s NFL clash between the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins are -120. If a B.C. sports bettor were to seek the same wager online at BCLC’s PlayNow platform, the Over is listed at -108 odds and the Under at -115 odds. Secondly, markets on the Unders for player props are unavailable, which is very disappointing. Some users also reported technical issues with the app last weekend shortly after launch.
Bettors will get better value wagering online at PlayNow, the only legal provider of igaming in the province, or with grey market operators. Launching a regulated igaming market, like in Ontario and soon in Alberta, is not a priority for the B.C. government at this time. This means local sports bettors will be forced to place their wagers with BCLC products or with grey market operators.
BCLC says it’s planning other new sports-betting experiences in the months ahead, including enhanced betting experiences at B.C. bars and pubs and exciting new offerings at B.C. casinos around the province.
BCLC is the official sports betting partner of the Vancouver Canucks, Abbotsford Canucks, Vancouver Warriors, BC Lions and the 111th Grey Cup, which takes place at Vancouver’s BC Place on November 17.
RGC to assist in U.S. college education campaign
The Toronto-based Responsible Gambling Council will be playing a key role in the creation of a national college education campaign south of the border.
The Responsible Online Gaming Association (ROGA), an independent trade association founded by eight of the industry’s largest legal online gaming operators to advance and promote responsible gaming (RG) practices, will be heading up the new initiative with the help of Kindbridge Behavioral Health and the RGC in an attempt to develop a comprehensive responsible online gaming and financial literacy education program tailored to college students/athletes.
The plan is to launch the new program in early 2025.
“For over 20 years RGC has worked with young adults, post-secondary institutions, and leaders to understand the unique needs of this priority population. All RGC prevention programs are evidence-based and customized to resonate with this hard-to-reach audience – through the message itself and how it’s communicated,” said Shelley White, CEO, Responsible Gambling Council in a release. “We are thrilled to be partnering with the Responsible Online Gaming Association to speak to an even larger number of students with our prevention outreach messaging.”
The program will address common myths and misperceptions around gaming, such as the illusion of control – especially as it relates to sports betting – while also explaining complex mathematical concepts such as odds, probability, and randomness in an engaging and accessible way to foster a well-rounded understanding of decision-making and risk-taking when gaming. Additionally, by ensuring students understand that responsible gaming is closely tied to good financial habits, the program will teach students who choose to engage in gaming how to set limits on their gaming expenses and to view online gaming and betting as entertainment, not as a
way to make money.
The RGC has played a vital role in the creation and maintenance of Ontario’s regulated igaming industry, championing the RG Check Accreditation process, which every operator must adhere to.
bet365 partners with Elias Sports Bureau
On Thursday, bet365 announced a new partnership with the Elias Sports Bureau, one of the top names in the sports statistics realm.
Under the new partnership, Elias’ portfolio of products, research, game stats, and insights will be integrated into the bet365 ecosystem.
“For over 100 years, Elias Sports Bureau has maintained a sterling reputation in the sports statistics world,” said a bet365 spokesperson in an email release. “We enthusiastically look forward to seamlessly integrating their expert insights to our already robust sportsbook products as we continue to create Never Ordinary offers for our customers.”
One of the most recognizable online sports betting brands across Canada, bet365 supports roughly 100 million customers worldwide and has over 7,000 employees across the globe.
Loto-Québec reports first quarter financials
Loto-Québec is the latest provincial lottery corporation to report its financials.
For the 85 days between April 1 and June 24, 2024, Loto-Québec posted total revenues of $689.7 million and a consolidated net income of $349.7 million, which the corporation says “fully align” with its yearly forecasts despite respective drops of $21.4 million (-3.0%) and $31.2 million (-8.2%) over the 87-day first quarter of fiscal 2023–2024. The lottery sector alone paid out $337.4 million in prizes to winners.
The corporation says the drop in revenues is largely because the quarter is simply two days shorter than last year.
“Our teams’ remarkable commitment and work led to very satisfying results that align with our forecasts,” said President and CEO Jean-François Bergeron. “This enables us to continue facing the upcoming months with optimism. The efforts to improve efficiency and the principles of social responsibility remain at the core of our priorities across all sectors.”
A few highlights from the report:
- Lottery product sector revenues amounted to $219.1 million.
- Casino and gaming hall sector revenues were $275 million
- Gaming establishment sector revenues totalled $200.7 million.
- Between April 1 and June 24, the lottery crowned 22 new millionaires.
The report did not include specific financial figures from mise-o-jeu, Québec‘s only legal online sports betting platform.
The Québec government remains heavily opposed to regulating its online gambling space despite the creation of a coalition advocating for a new online marketplace over a year ago.
