CANADIAN SINGLE-GAME SPORTS BETTING FARES EXTREMELY WELL IN BRITISH COLUMBIA

Sports bettors in the Canadian province of British Columbia are placing more bets than they were previously. And, this is most likely due to the launch of single-game sports betting in Canada back in August. Single-event sports betting is legal country-wide ever since August 27th, however, it is up to the regulations of the provinces.

Back in August, the British Columbia Lottery Corp. launched its product known as PlayNow. Ever since the launch of PlayNow, over $25 million has been wagered in sports bets in the area. The Interim President and CEO of the British Columbia Lottery Corp., Lynda Cavanaugh, feels that this is a significant development for PlayNow.com and for the BCLC.

She feels that users need to be aware that using PlayNow.com helps to support the success of the province, as the revenue gained helps to support British Columbia. The revenue helps to fund initiatives like education and healthcare in British Columbia.

Before this past summer, single-game sports betting was not legal in Canada. Lotteries in the provinces were only able to offer parlay bets. According to a British Columbia Lottery Corp. release, the new products have led to an increase in bets.

Through the initial seven weeks of the NFL season, NFL betting saw a year-over-year increase of 97% in the area. The game in Week 4 that was held between the New England Patriots and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was able to attract the most betting action. 80% of the money bet and 69% of the sports wagers came in as single-game wagers.

In addition, British Columbia also saw a significant increase in hockey betting. NHL betting was up by 71% during just the first nineteen days of this NHL season when compared to the same time period from 2020.

However, even with this Canada sports betting success story, regulators in British Columbia have not announced any intentions to bring commercial sports betting operators into the province. The British Columbia Lottery Corp. has stated that they are continuing to explore additional opportunities that would provide bettors with avenues to place single-game sports wagers in British Columbia.

The British Columbian sports betting market is a stark contrast to that of the largest Canadian province, which is Ontario. Ontario desires to have an open and competitive sports betting market. Regulators of sports betting in Ontario are hoping for their commercial launch by the end of this year.

This hope has sent many major sports betting operators from the United States looking to grab a piece of the Canadian sports betting market, especially Ontario’s. Ontario is currently home to fifteen million residents, which is larger than the population of forty five states in the U.S.

The sports betting product from the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. is ProLine+. Since August 27th until the beginning of October, ProLine+ has generated 3.5 million wagers. NFL betting made up 34% of those wagers. According to a report from Eilers & Krejcik, the Ontario sports betting market by itself could be worth up to CAD $570 in sports wagering revenue.

Written by Allie Nelson, our US Sports Betting Industry Expert. You can read more about our author's expertise here.