POINTSBET CANADA, THESCORE BET RECEIVE LICENSE TO LAUNCH IN ONTARIO

It looks like commercial sportsbook operators are finally receiving their licenses in Ontario. Now, PointsBet Ontario has been set up to launch in the province in less than two months.

This past Thursday, the Canada division of the Australian brand was given a major boost, as the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario granted a license to PointsBet Canada to launch in Ontario. This license will allow the online sportsbook operator to launch in the populous province on April 4th.

Ontario contains the capital of Canada, Ottawa, as well as its largest city, Toronto, which is where PointsBet Canada is headquartered. Also, there are around 14.5 million people located in the province of Ontario.

The CEO of PointsBet Canada, Scott Vanderwel, indicated the company’s excitement following the announcement. He stated the company’s intent to build a Canadian sportsbook for the Canadian market while utilizing Canadian employees. He feels the license approval is a momentous step in their hope to launch an authentic Canadian gaming experience for users in the province.

He touted the fact that the operator would be able to launch in the province in just 60 days. And he mentioned the product’s speed, ease of use, in-game betting abilities, as well as their local partnerships. He believes they will be able to create a new and fun experience for Ontario sports bettors.

The federal government in Canada moved to legalize single-event sports betting back in August 2021. Since then, eyes have been on the Ontario sports betting market, as it is large and should prove to be beneficial to operators. Before that time, only multi-game parlay bets had been allowed nationwide.

The provinces have been having their respective sports betting systems run by their own lottery systems. Ontario has taken the lead when it comes to vetting commercial sportsbook vendors. Many of these commercial operators have established offices in Canada and made sponsorship deals with Canadian corporations in anticipation of launching in the country.

PointsBet has struck its fair share of deals. The company brokered a partnership deal with the NHL back in 2021. In January of this year, PointsBet Canada also partnered up with the NHL Alumni Association. And last year, PointsBet Canada announced it was the official sports betting partner of Curling Canada, the sanctioning body for curling in the country.

These partnerships reflect PointsBet Canada’s strategy to establish connections that are authentically Canadian to help establish a fanbase prior to its launch. A few days ago, PointsBet also announced its multi-year partnership with Alpine Canada Alpin, which is the governing body for para-alpine, alpine, and ski cross racing in the country.

Founded in Australia in 2015, PointsBet has found success after launching in the United States back in January 2019. In 2020, the company announced its partnership with NBC Sports. Now, it seeks to dominate in the Canadian sports betting market.

The VP of legal, compliance, and people at PointsBet Canada, Chantal Cipriano, indicated the company’s excitement at being one of the first iGaming operators to receive a license to operate in Ontario. This announcement has given the company a boon in that it also indicates confidence from the regulators in the area about the PointsBet Canada product. And this could mean another hurdle to finding fans has been cleared by the company.

A little while after the PointsBet Canada license was announced in Ontario, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario also announced the approval of theScore Bet. The approval of other operators is sure to follow as Ontario sports betting licensing ramps up prior to the April 4th launch.

Written by Allie Nelson, our US Sports Betting Industry Expert.