The decisions of last year are finally coming to fruition: on April 4 Canada opens the online gambling site iGaming. The site will provide for the full range of online gambling, including that of single game betting that passed in parliament last fall.
The launch of a new era
The doors will finally open for full access to online gambling in Canada. April 4 marks the day when the website iGaming launches, which will function as a webpage where gamblers can find collected information regarding online gambling and regulated gaming sites. The site will be complementary to other informative websites such as the Canadian bonus page for Casino Frog, which lists bonus opportunities for online casinos.
The launch of iGaming is much anticipated in relation to the new legislation that permits single game betting. Canadians have previously only had parley betting as an available betting option. Parley betting forces the bettor to make assumptions about several bets in a row and must be correct on all games to reap the rewards. This genre of betting is rarely profitable and has thus led many Canadian bettors to seek out black and grey market platforms.
Single game betting expected to revolutionize revenues
When the issue of single game betting came up in parliament last year, the focus of the discussion was on the potential revenues. Kevin Waugh, a Conservative MP for Saskatoon-Grasswood and the author of the single game betting bill known as C-218, presented data which indicated that Canadians spent over $10 billion annually on the black market. Another $4 billion was supposedly spent on the grey market, which includes offshore markets not outlawed but not regulated by the Canadian gambling market.
The legalization of single game betting will also allow for the Canadian gambling market to tax and regulate gambling on some of the biggest single game sports holidays throughout the year, including the Super Bowl and NHL finals.
Sixteen operators approved by the iGaming platform so far
As mentioned above, the iGaming platform will be the key to the improved Canadian online gambling market. The platform will connect and collect the regional platforms currently in place to unify and distribute various projects from the earnings. The revenue can perhaps be coordinated similarly to the new online gambling revenues in the state of New York, which have chosen to redistribute revenues to fund the education sector and gambling addiction programs.
So far, the website has confirmed sixteen gambling operators to launch on April 4, and more operators are in the process of becoming approved but will be launched after the April 4 introduction date. These include some big names, but not all operators will be focused on sports betting, but most likely the majority will be.
“Tsunami of gambling advertisement” to be expected
The introduction of the wider gambling market is expected to also increase gambling advertisement. Keith Whyte, the executive director of the US National Council on Problem Gaming, recently spoke at a Responsible Gaming Conference of the media attention that the new market might produce. In comparing the Canadian market to the American one, he was quoted to say that Canada could expect “an absolute tsunami of gambling advertisement”.
Whyte furthermore spoke of how the expansion of betting may influence harmful gambling patterns. He compared in-play betting, or live betting, in particular as being equal to “Frankenstein’s monster” as the bets made in the moment are rarely based on analysis, thus posing a larger risk for bitter losses.
Celebrities and loyalty at odds in advertisement
The advertisements in themselves are expected to be filled with many familiar faces. Many celebrities are recruited as ambassadors for the various betting and gambling brands, a strategy meant to invoke trust and familiarity with the organizations. However, some advertising experts are worried that a large influx in ads will work against loyal bettors.
Aubrey Levy is the senior vice-president of marketing for sports news organization theScore. Levy has raised concerns over the frequency of North American betting ads as being detrimental to customer loyalty. Rather, he argues, the “hammering” of bonuses and beneficial betting deals earns no loyalty from either the customer or the sportsbooks, thus hurting the betting market in the long run. So far, advertisement have not equaled the American levels, which might indicate a milder advertisement influx.