Daily Fantasy Sports, Sportsbook, DraftKings, NHL, sports gaming

ROCKET SPORTS MEDIA | MONTREAL, QC. — Back in April, the Canadian House of Commons passed Bill C-218 legalizing single-event sports betting in Canada. In a piece titled “Enhancing Your Hockey Watching Experience” we explained how the legislation, along with other changes to data gathering and new broadcast agreements, were about to change the way fans experienced their regular hockey night viewing.

Currently, Canadians can participate in Daily Fantasy Sports which is termed a skill-based game where managers can assemble a roster of players in every sport to compete with other fans. DraftKings has been a leader in Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) since it’s launch of a DFS product in Canada in 2012. In that time, Canadians have made 67 million contest entries for DraftKings DFS.

But on June 29th, Bill C-218, named the Safe and Regulated Sports Betting Act, received royal assent making the legislation law of the land and eliminating the a long-standing ban in Canada on placing bets on individual sporting events.

New Law Takes Effect

Individual event sports wagering can encompass, for example, the Super Bowl, Game 7 of a Stanley Cup Final or the Grey Cup. With the CFL season just underway, NFL playing pre-season games, the NHL heading to training camps and MLB preparing for playoffs, this will be the dawn of a new era for sports betting in Canada.

At an event at the Fallsview Casino Resort in Niagara Falls on August 12th, Attorney General David Lametti announced that the new law will take effect on August 27th. Gaming will change in a major way for Canadians starting this week.

“Canadians will have the opportunity to participate in single-event sport betting in a regulated and safe environment, at the discretion of the provinces and territories,” Lametti told reporters.

It’s estimated that the new law will open the door to a $14 billion annual market for sports betting in Canada.

Provinces Plan Rollouts

With the implementation of the new law being left to the provinces, Ontario was first out of the gate to announce that single-game betting will be available online as of August 27th via the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) through the unveiling of its new PROLINE+ product.

In a statement, CEO Duncan Hannay said “OLG has been looking forward to offering single-event sports wagering to adult Ontarians for many years. We’re thrilled that we’ll be able to incorporate this exciting feature that bettors have been anxiously awaiting into Ontario’s only legal online sportsbook.”

The Ontario government plan also includes developing a marketplace for private sector sports wagering companies to offer their own products. It is expected to launch in December. Single-game betting at Ontario casinos is also possible in the future.

The British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC) quickly followed suit. BCLC will offer single-event sports betting online via Play Now, the province’s regulated gambling website.

Lynda Cavanaugh, BCLC’s Interim President and CEO said, “We’re excited to soon provide our players these new offerings on PlayNow.com, which is B.C.’s only legal gambling website and delivers important revenue back to the Province of B.C. to support things like healthcare, education and community programs.”

Alberta is likely to follow a similar path through Play Alberta governed by the Alberta Gaming, Liquor & Cannabis (AGLC) agency.

The Atlantic Lottery Corporation (ALC) will develop a rollout strategy once approval has been received from each agency in the Atlantic provinces.

Greater Opportunities

And for our US friends, single-event gaming via DraftKings Sportsbook is legal online in  the following eleven states: Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.

With Daily Fantasy Sports already well established on both side of the border and Sportsbook on the way in many jurisdictions, options are growing for sports enthusiasts  who want to increase the excitement of their fan experience.

By Rick Stephens, Editor-in-Chief
All Habs Hockey Magazine
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