BetRivers in Expanding to Canada. Why?

Single-game sports betting has come to Canada, opening up a new market for BetRivers and other US sportsbook operators.

To kick things off and attract Canadian customers, BetRivers has launched not only a free-play mobile sportsbook but also a free-play casino.

BetRivers anticipates that the free-play will help to build its Canadian customer base before officially launching real-money gambling in Ontario. According to regulators in Ontario, real-money gambling could come to the province by December.

In addition to the US and Colombia, Canada makes the third country where Rush Street Interactive operates. According to gaming research firm Eilers & Krejcik, as of July 2021, Rush Street was the fourth-largest gambling operator in the United States.

BetRivers has seen quite a bit of success in states like Pennsylvania and Illinois, where it also operates a retail sportsbook. But, in states like Colorado where BetRivers only has an online presence, parent company Rush Street is looking into other brands, such as ESPN.

Currently, The Score and DraftKings are the most popular sports betting apps in Canada, each with a 20% market share. Other major players in the Canadian sports betting market include FanDuel, BetMGM, Caesars, and Barstool.

 

What’s the Deal with Single Game Betting in Canada?

While sports betting has more or less been legal in Canada for a long time, up until recently, betting on just one game was not implicitly legal. Rather, parlay betting on the outcome of at least three separate games was the norm. In order to win, the bettor had to win all three for the wager to pay off. Also, the parlay bets had to be placed with a provincial agency.

Now, since the passage of Bill C-218, Canadian provinces can offer single-game betting through mobile sportsbooks, such as BetRivers. Ontario is the first province to take advantage of the new law, spurring a rush by US online sportsbooks.

Before this, Canadians used offshore online sportsbooks to place bets on events like Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final or the Superbowl. That drained $10 billion out of the Canadian economy into illicit offshore sportsbooks. Now, the provinces will be able to collect taxes and licensing fees, while allowing Canadians to bet on single games.

Bloomberg Intelligence estimates that the total sports-betting market in Canada is around $11 billion, and should double in five years. That spells an opportunity for BetRivers and other sportsbook operators not currently operating in Canada.

 

Ontario the First Province Ready for Single-Game Sports Betting 

Single-game sports betting in Canada became legal on August 27, and the province of Ontario was ready to begin licensing operators on day one. Operators like BetRivers expect to begin taking real-money bets by December 2021.

In preparation for that, PointsBet has signed an advertising deal with Curling Canada, formerly the Canadian Curling Association. Curling is a uniquely Canadian sport, and Curling Canada conducts nine national curling championships across the country. 

To bolster its position, BetMGM has signed a deal with hockey great, Wayne Gretzky, as well as with The Hockey News.

The Score, a Toronto-based sportsbook, has made a deal with Canlan Sports, which runs hockey arenas in four provinces, as well as Illinois.

Right now, DraftKings is the only active Ontario sportsbook and has begun taking early bets on NFL games.

 

British Columbia Also Began Taking Single-Game Bets on August 27

Canada’s west coast province launched single-game betting as soon as possible through its provincial lottery commission, Play Now. For the time being, Play Now is the only legal option in British Columbia. But other operators, such as BetRivers, could be allowed to operate in the province at some time in the future. 

Up until the passage of Bill-C218, many British Columbians drove across the border to Washington State to place sports bets. Others placed their bets on illicit offshore sites. 

Currently, in addition to Play Now, the British Columbia Lottery Commission operates 17 community gaming centers and 16 casinos across the province. 

 

Other Provinces Likely to Approve Single-Game Betting Soon

While Ontario and British Columbia were the first provinces onboard, other provinces are likely to launch single-game bets too. Currently, the only provinces that do not allow single-game bets are Nova Scotia, Nunavut, Yukon, and the Northwest Territories. 

For the most part, single-game bets are taken through the provincial lottery commissions. But as with Ontario, that market may soon open up nationwide to commercial operators. For global sports betting operators, Canada presents a fresh opportunity and they are already lining up to take advantage of the market.