Canada

Online sports betting in Canada - Widely legalized

While several countries across the planet remain in the dark regarding legal sports betting, Canadian citizens and lawmakers have taken an even-handed approach. Gambling has been legal in Canada for decades, but the government saw it necessary to blend in some laws to regulate the industry, especially in the online era.

By 1970, the government allowed individual provinces to formulate their own gambling and sports betting laws. So, even though Canada has both land-based and online gambling sites, regulatory oversight is mandated for respective territories. Therefore, if a sportsbook operator seeks to establish a physical or online sportsbook within the country's borders, they must first acquire a license from the sports betting commission in that province or territory.

The Canadian Gaming Commission oversees the industry at large, but individual provinces have their own rules. However, Ontario stands out from these provinces for its distinct online gambling regulations, including licensing and oversight.

Several sportsbooks, including FanDuel, DraftKings, and BetMGM, have already entered Ontario’s online sports betting market, and most of the other big brands have followed. In addition to these familiar names, many smaller sportsbooks, and even some Canadian ones, are offering their online betting services to sports gambling enthusiasts all over the country, so the bettors have a wide selection of betting apps and sites to choose from.

Further, except for the Ontario province, which operates under its own licensing system, the other provinces do not prohibit sportsbooks with licenses from recognized regulatory bodies like the Malta Gaming Authority and the Government of Curacao, broadening the field even more.

The best thing is that they can use the sportsbook’s mobile apps or websites. While players can enjoy a personalized sports betting experience on mobile apps, the platforms may have some limitations, such as fewer payment methods.

Sports betting legislation in Canada

While we can trace the history of sports betting in Canada back over 600 years ago, we can narrow it down to 1892. Around this time, the government banned all forms of gambling apart from horse race betting. Punters could only place bets on horse races at county fairs until 1969, when legislators amended the Canadian Criminal Code. This amendment allowed federal and provincial governments to run lotteries supporting good causes, such as charities.

In the early 1990s, provincial governments gave the green light to betting in sports lotteries like Sports Action and Proline. However, the amended criminal code only allowed parlay/multi-game betting. This restriction was the norm until August 2021, when the Canadian federal government passed the C-218 bill, allowing single-game sports betting nationwide. Still, individual provinces were free to legalize or not legalize it.

Canada has one of the most flexible policies among the nations where betting is legal. CA citizens can bet on pretty much any sports or event offered on sportsbooks' websites and apps, including eSports and horse racing. With the wide range of operators available, the high number of sports betting events is hardly surprising. Besides, players can opt for in-person or virtual betting.

In addition, DFS is also legal in every Canadian province.

Recent updates from the Canadian sports betting scene

• April 9, 2024: 888 Holdings is shifting its focus to Canada after disappointing results in 2023, aiming to capitalize on the growing Canadian market. With an Ontario iGaming license secured in 2022, the company plans to enhance its operations there. Led by CEO Per Widerström, 888 looks to expand further into provinces like Alberta, leveraging its established Canadian presence for long-term growth and profitability.

• January 18, 2024: A recent report highlights a resurgence in Ontario's iGaming market after a period of stability. Sports betting in Ontario reached $17.2 million in wagers, marking a 21% increase from the previous quarter. Total gaming revenue surged to $658 million, up 22% from Q2, with around 1.2 million active player accounts and an average monthly spend per account of $186.

• November 29, 2023: Kindred Group, a gambling operator behind the Unibet brand, plans to withdraw completely from North America by the end of Q2 2024 as part of its strategic review, which will involve cutting 300 jobs across the company.

• October 11, 2023: NorthStar Gaming, an operator based in Ontario, is set to broaden the availability of its online casino and sportsbook throughout Canada. Initially launched in May 2022, NorthStar Gaming's services were exclusive to Ontario. Now, with the introduction of NorthStarBets.com, the platform will become accessible to users in all Canadian provinces and territories.

• September 1, 2023: Simplebet partners with Bet99, enabling the latter to offer micro-betting to its customers in Canada using Simplebet's odds feeds.

• June 30, 2023: FanDuel Group strikes a deal with the Canadian Football League (CFL) to become its authorized gaming operator and official sportsbook partner. Through FanDuel, Ontario consumers can bet on the CFL, including in-game player props and futures bets.

All legal gambling options in Canada - Casino games and poker also available

As said earlier, Canada has some of the most lenient gambling policies, as Canadians can freely wager on casino games, poker, lotteries, and bingo games, just to name a few, both online and in-person. Sweepstake casinos and social sportsbooks are also legal to play if you prefer them over real money gambling.

In addition to these, online poker is also fully legal in Canada. Poker enthusiasts can even find tons of different games in retail casinos and dedicated poker rooms due to the relaxed gambling legislation.

Other gambling-related news & stories from Canada

• April 5, 2024: Over 86% of online gamblers in Ontario use regulated sites, according to a study released by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) and iGaming Ontario during the second anniversary of the province's regulated sports betting and online gaming market.

• January 31, 2024: PointsBet's Q2 report reveals record net wins in Australia and Canada. The total net win in Canada soared to $6.9 million, marking a remarkable 109% surge. Additionally, net wins from both sports betting and iGaming in Canada experienced significant year-on-year increases, with 94% and 119%, respectively.

• January 11, 2024: Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries alerts the public about deceptive Facebook posts promoting a fake online gaming app linked to Club Regent Casino. These posts, shared on social media platforms, falsely advertise the app with deposit bonuses using the casino's image.

• November 30, 2023: iGO aims to create a single self-exclusion system for Ontario's iGaming market, providing players with easier access to self-exclusion across all regulated operators.