THIS WEEK IN SPORTS BETTING NEWS – JANUARY 7TH, 2022

Chris Altman Sports Betting Expert

4 minute read

CAESARS, FANDUEL, AND MORE POISED TO GO LIVE IN NEW YORK THIS WEEKEND

New York legislators and Gaming Commission representatives were able to agree upon and finalize the rules for online sports betting late last month (December 2021).

Talks of going live with online sports betting in January 2022 abounded in December, and it was settled that operators would likely be able to start offering bets on browsers and apps by the “second week of January”. Keeping to their word, NYGC officials announced on Thursday that betting would indeed be available starting on Saturday, January 8th, 2022.

Now that betting will be available in short order, operators with a valid NY gaming license are already starting to plan for pre-launch and launch welcome offers. Here are just a few of the operators expected to go live on Saturday (links point to information about pre-launch offers:

• Caesars
• FanDuel
• DraftKings
• BetRivers

Our expert staff will keep you apprised of any changes as they occur, but all signs indicate that online betting is going to be available very shortly in the Empire State.

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN CANADA REGARDING LEGAL SPORTS BETTING?

There are numerous, sweeping changes happening all across Canada with regards to legal sports betting. After a nationwide law banning single-event wagers was removed from the Canadian criminal code (under C-218), provinces all across the country saw an opportunity to legalize and regulate a more robust offering of betting options.

ONTARIO

Ontario is poised to have one of the most open and competitive markets in Canada, as they’re set to offer licenses for commercial sports betting to eligible operators. Compare this with other provinces that only have one provider for sports betting services as facilitated by the provincial lottery.

ALBERTA

Alberta, while not planning for a completely open market like Ontario, plans on opening up for two commercially licensed operators in addition to the lottery’s PlayAlberta platform.

Professional sports teams and the venues in which they play will be allowed to apply for one of these two licenses, so it’s likely that a team like the Calgary Flames or the Edmonton Elks will apply to offer sports betting apps and kiosks at their respective arenas.

NOVA SCOTIA

While not as ahead of the game as the above provinces, Nova Scotians will also be able to bet on the full variety of wagers, including single-event wagering, as soon as provincial authorities license and release a betting platform.

Though single-event wagering became legal on a national level last year, 2022 will be the year that Nova Scotian authorities finally release a sportsbook for their residents to legally enjoy.

SASKATCHEWAN

Saskatchewan already provides for legal betting through their app Sport Select, will also license another sportsbook through the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority (SIGA). SIGA has closed its Request for Proposals, and is expected to license an eligible sportsbook operator by the middle of 2022.

MOBILE SPORTS BETTING TO LAUNCH IN ARKANSAS

2019 saw in-person casinos secure the ability to legally offer sports betting in Arkansas. Now that 2022 has begun, there’s a clear path toward Arkansas offering the full scope of legal betting online.

Regulators in the state from the Arkansas Racing Commission recently (in December) decided to start licensing online sportsbook operators. A great deal of opposition from providers like DraftKings soon followed, as the ARC is looking to force operators to keep 51% of the revenue from AR sports betting in-state.

This is essentially the same as New York’s 51% tax rate, and operators argue that the revenue potentials in Arkansas do not outweigh such a heavy requirement. However, the ARC is still moving forward with their ruleset, and is expected to bring their agreement to a legislative subcommittee soon.

Typically speaking, in a state poised to legalize online sports betting, legislators will draft a law to be signed by the state’s governor. Then, after legal online betting becomes the law of the land, regulators from state gaming authorities (or lotteries, or racing commissions) will then draft and finalize rules for licenses, finally offering said licenses to legal operators.

In Arkansas, this process has been reversed: regulators from the state gaming authority have drafted and finalized a ruleset to be brought to the legislators later this year. Whether or not legislators are on board with this plan remains to be seen: we’ll have the latest updates as things progress.

Written by Chris Altman, our US Sports Betting Industry Expert. You can learn more about our author’s expertise here.

Chris Altman

Chris Altman is a sports betting writer and content expert with almost a decade of experience. He's covered everything, but his current focus is on reviewing sportsbooks and online casinos and keeping tabs on sports betting legislation. Chris has been with VegasInsider since 2019 and has freelanced in the sports betting content industry for years. More from Chris Altman