Canadians have loved gambling for a long while. Wagering on the favourites and underdogs, finding great odds for their team to win the big game, and browsing their top sportsbooks is something many in the country have been passionate about for a while. But in 2021, Canada passed Bill C-218, which fully eliminated the federal prohibition on gambling and opened the door to a new age of the industry.
While Canadians had operators like BetVictor Canada and other sportsbooks before this happened, the industry was underdeveloped. Now, things have changed drastically in just a short number of years. Let’s look at some of the biggest changes.
Legal Betting in Ontario
Sports betting in Ontario has taken off since Bill C-218. Ontario has been the first province to fully lean into sports betting. Ontario created a regulatory agency called iGaming, which now oversees and controls the sports betting industry in the province. This has allowed them to open the floodgates, and now sports betting has really become a staple of everyday life for Ontario civilians. There are multi-billion-dollar gambling companies in the province creating new jobs, and the government is now able to regulate and tax the industry accordingly.
More Operators Than Ever
One of the big changes in Ontario since this transition is that there are now more operators than ever. BetVictor, Sports Interaction, and Bet365 are betting sites that Canadians could use as legal gray areas for many years. But now, sportsbooks like BetMGM, PointsBet, FanDuel, and DraftKings are fully available to Canadians. This is an exciting new change, opening the door to many new betting options for the typical Canadian. They can pinpoint the sportsbooks that work best for them and browse a huge range of new features. It creates a more bettor-friendly industry in Ontario, with the added benefit of these companies being major employers.
The Mainstreaming of Sports Betting
While sports betting has been popular in Canada for quite some time, it has certainly gone mainstream since the bill was passed. This is particularly true in Ontario, where these new regulations allow betting sites to advertise to users. People see advertisements from sportsbooks online, on TV, and on billboards across the province. Sports betting is also now being discussed on sports channels while the games are on. Viewers will see live looks at the betting lines and changes throughout the broadcast. This is something that would never have happened before, but it is definitely the case now that betting has been legalized.
Changes Coming to Other Provinces
Ontario is the first province to lean all the way into betting, but it probably won’t be the last. These changes have been successful for Ontario, and they have brought in a lot of extra money. Other provinces won’t want to miss out on the potential earnings that come from this industry. While most provinces have made minor tweaks, like allowing single-game betting on their lottery-ran sportsbook, expect major ones in the future. Provinces like Alberta, B.C., and Quebec won’t want to miss out on the huge potential revenue boost.
