Monday April 4 sees Ontario in Canada finally seeing a legal private online gambling market being opened. Players will be able to try their luck at online sites and on smartphone apps oncasino games, sportsbooks, and other gambling activities
There’s a great deal of anticipation for this landmark day and as of Friday April 1, there were 25 operators registered. Not all of them are due to begin operating on April 5 but more are likely to be registered in the coming weeks and months.
In the lead up to the big day betting companies have been busy promoting themselves. It’s a highly competitive industry of course so all will be battling it out to get a good share of the market. PointsBet Canada are one of those companies who have been granted a licence by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario.
They have been busy with online adverts and videos. That includes one that features the Trailer Park Boys, a Canadian mockumentary television series. Patrick Eichner is a spokesman for PointsBet and believes the launch in Ontario is an important one for the company.
“For all intents and purposes, you’re launching in a country,” said the spokesman. He added that it’s important for them to make a strong first impression in Ontario and they “have to be strong out of the gates.”
At present, Canadians gamble online at the Proline+ sportsbook run by the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp and others that operate outside of Canada. The Proline+ sportsbook was launched last year as part of a groundbreaking 2021 for the Canadian gambling industry. Last year also saw the legalization of single event betting.
Also advertising their upcoming opening in Ontario have been BetRivers. Adverts were shown during the recent Winter Olympics. Their CEO is Richard Schwartz and he said the advertising campaign had had the aim of putting them on the map in Ontario. This is their first time operating in the province so as Mr Schwartz says they “we started without having any awareness.”
There could be a few headaches come the end of Monday. TheScore Bet have been running adverts but also are holding a series of launch parties starting on Saturday and ending on Monday evening. Hopefully they’ll have time to place some bets too.
The income levels that could be achieved in Ontario haven’t been forecasted by politicians. That might come around when the government table their annual budget later this month. Other sources believe revenue could reach $800 million in the first 12 months.
Not everyone is celebrating what will happen on April 5. Those who run land-based casinos and unions are concerned about the online launches. They fear that their revenue figures will fall and that may see jobs lost. One report by HLT Advisory has projected revenue losses of $2.8 billion and thousands of jobs being lost in the next five years.
