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Everything You Need to Know About Legal Sports Betting in Ontario

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As one of the top world economies, Canada has several industries that help prop up its economy. Digital gambling is the latest sector that has netted the country millions of dollars’ worth of tax. But how exactly does it work?

With different provinces and districts having varying rules, it can be a confusing business. Today, we will give you a rundown of how digital casinos rose to prominence in Canada and what the current legislation encompasses. We will home in on Ontario and how the province is looking to put into place a solid framework that will satisfy gamblers and the operators that provide digital gambling platforms throughout the province.

The Path to Legal Sports Betting in Canada

Gambling in Canada is only legal when overseen by one of the ten provincial governing bodies. As the most populated province, it should be no surprise that Ontario has the highest number of gambling establishments. However, if you prefer to do your gambling online from the comfort of your home, you can find a list of legal sports betting sites in Ontario that can cater to your needs.

We will take a closer look at Ontario a little bit later in this article. Canada takes a looser approach to legislation than certain places in the neighbouring nation of the United States. While it bears some similarities, in that each area has its laws as Nevada does overall, Canadian legislation is more liberal when it comes to citizens placing wagers.

Suppose you’re looking for laws specific to your province. In that case, it might be a good idea to look at some legislation from government websites to ensure that you are operating within the confines of the legislation.

Throughout the early to mid-19th Century, gambling was controlled and facilitated by illicit organized crime groups. This has been the case throughout many countries and was also the case south of the border. As the 19th Century progressed, the Government revised the laws and legislation, and the power was placed into the hands of the provinces.

Date of Implementation

The two critical years for gambling in Canada were 1970 and 1985. In 1970, legislation was passed to allow specific types of gaming, and this took some of the power away from organized crime groups. In 1985, this power was devolved, allowing provinces to make much more robust decisions and set their legislative framework.

Crucially, this provided a framework for sportsbooks to operate in the country. In 2021, legislation was passed in several provinces, allowing sports betting on individual games online, which was a massive step for several of these territories.

There remains a bit of a grey area with digital gambling, given that it is such a new industry. However, the consensus is that as long as the provider is registered in the province it operates in and adheres to the laws set by the legislative bodies, it can operate within that vicinity.

The passing of specific legislation regarding online sports betting may indicate that more legislation may be on its way to provide clarity for companies that want to set up sports betting shops online that operate within Canada. In April 2022, Ontario passed legislation allowing legal sports betting online, opening up a market to over 10 million potential customers.

Ontario Sports Betting History

As discussed, you can visit various legal sports betting sites in Ontario province. It is the largest province, including Toronto the capital and other sizeable city areas, such as Ottawa. It is also eyeing up inventive ways to entice corporations to set up in the area.

However, similar to many other provinces, the legality of sports betting and its legislation has been ambiguous and confusing for both gamblers and gaming providers.

That was until last year, as we discussed at the end of our previous section. Until 2021, the legality of sports betting fell into a no man’s land. Some companies were fined for operating without a license in specific provinces, but the most sensible thing, robust legislation, seemed like the last thing to occur.

The Internet ripped up the old rulebook and had governing bodies scrambling to devise a new one. There isn’t a single industry out there that hasn’t had to adapt to the seismic changes that the disruptive innovation of the Internet caused. Plenty of industries went out of business due to the rise of the Internet. However, some only exist, and can only exist, because of the Internet.

In the middle, some corporations took on the technology and used it to create a whole new business subdivision. This is the category that the gambling industry falls into. Criticizing legislative bodies for not clarifying these sectors sooner is easy.

However, it is a complex process and involves governmental figures, lawmakers, and lawyers who must write these watertight pieces of legislation to ensure they are not ambiguous. This isn’t an easy or fast process, but Canada is finally starting to catch up with online gambling regulation, and Ontario is one of the leading provinces in that regard.

AGCO and Ontario Sports Betting

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission Ontario (AGCO) ensures that gambling legislation is robust, understandable, and well-regulated. Providing legislative clarity to alcohol and gambling companies can be a tricky business. Many believe it infringes on the rights of people, who should have free choice to do what they want with their money.

That is undoubtedly true, and it’s not up for debate. It’s relatively obvious that this is what the Canadian lawmakers believe, too. However, ultimately, the legislation isn’t in place to stop people from doing anything; it’s to protect gamblers and ensure they get a fair shake when they play a casino game online.

The AGCO proactively ensures that large gambling companies online stick to the legislation they have set out for them. They do this by issuing audits and site visits and ensuring compliance is met with the utmost respect. For these companies to operate in Canada, it is a privilege, not a right, and even though they bring in a lot of money via tax, they must adhere to the laws of the land.

The legislation introduced in 2022, which we discussed earlier, was devised by AGCO and they released the information as a press release in April 2022.

It’s challenging to oversell just how vital AGCO is to developing a culture of fair sports betting in Ontario. If they can get this legislation right and get it to work, while providing an appropriate playing field for providers and players, it could be a very lucrative stream of income for the province.

Ontario Sports Betting Best Legal Sportsbooks March 2023

Knowing which digital casino to use can be a conundrum, especially with so many websites out there. However, as we touched on at the beginning of our article today, some legal sports betting companies in Ontario have a better reputation and provide a better service than some of the other websites we have sampled. This isn’t an exhaustive list, but the ones we have narrowed it down to include

● Royal Panda Sports
● BetVictor Sports
● BetRivers Sports
● BetMGM Sports
● Leo Vegas Sports

All these companies are licensed and registered to operate digitally in Ontario. There are plenty of others to choose from, but we have already done a lot of the research and leg work, so you don’t have to; you can just sign up and take advantage of the multitude of promotional offers they have available.

You should only ever gamble as a form of entertainment or as a way to unwind. However, if you start spending more time gambling than you originally planned or you begin to spend more money than you wanted to, these are ominous signs. Speaking to a family member or friend about your issue could stop it from spiralling into something harder to control.

Conclusion

As you can see, this legislation is continuing to evolve. Not only has the Internet changed the way sports betting in Ontario operates, but it has provided a vehicle to ensure that any developments in the industry take place at a rapid pace.

Due to the Internet, there is a non-stop stream of information and communication. Therefore, any movement to legislate needs to move fast enough to keep up with the speed at which these digital casino providers seek to provide services.

Providing robust and lucid legislation is paramount because the industry is ultra-competitive and has billions of dollars at stake. It is also moving at breakneck speed due to the level of advancements and technological accessibility that fuels the growth.

However, any legislation invariably takes time to implement to ensure no ambiguity is involved. Overall, the sports betting industry now has a solid parameter within which it can operate and provide sportsbook services.

The most crucial factor to take away from today is that last year’s law passed by AGCO is by far the most comprehensive and transparent. It has opened the door for sports betting companies to enter the province digitally and legally to provide their services.

Todayville Content Team works with a wide variety of clients to develop compelling content solutions. Our experienced team develops strategic campaigns that use video and storytelling, digital advertising and social media to help our clients position and distinguish themselves in the market.

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The bizarre story of Taro Tsujimoto

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The National Hockey League (NHL) has seen its fair share of strange moments, but few compare to the bizarre and hilarious tale of Taro Tsujimoto, a player who never existed. His “selection” in the 1974 NHL Draft remains one of the most legendary pranks in hockey history. If you want to wager on actual players, making the 1xBet app download is definitely a great idea.

In the 1970s, the NHL Draft was a much less glamorous event than today. It was a tedious process conducted over the phone, with teams calling in their picks. The 3 biggest highlights of what happened during that year’s draft were:

  • the draft dragged on for hours;
  • there were multiple rounds and teams selecting unknown prospects from obscure leagues;
  • frustrated with the monotony, Buffalo Sabres general manager Punch Imlach decided to have a little fun.

As the 11th round approached, Imlach instructed his team’s representative to draft Taro Tsujimoto, a supposed forward from the Tokyo Katanas of the Japan Ice Hockey League. The name sounded authentic enough. The league officials, unfamiliar with Japanese hockey, accepted the pick without question. By downloading the 1xBet app you will also be able to wager on great NHL teams too.

A small problem

There was a small problem with all of this, as 2 things didn’t exist: Tsujimoto and the Tokyo Katanas. Imlach had completely fabricated the player as a joke, taking advantage of the NHL’s lack of verification. When it comes to NHL wagers, there is no better platform than the 1xBet Canada site.

For weeks, the league listed Tsujimoto as an official draft pick, and even some newspapers reported on Buffalo’s mysterious new Japanese prospect. Eventually, the Sabres admitted the hoax, and the NHL was forced to retroactively erase the selection from its records.

Despite being a fictional player, Taro Tsujimoto took on a life of his own. Buffalo Sabres fans embraced the prank, and over the years, his name has become a cult legend in hockey culture. Some fans even wore jerseys with “Tsujimoto” on the back. The joke persisted so much that when EA Sports released NHL video games, players could occasionally find Tsujimoto in the game’s draft pool as a hidden Easter egg.

More than just a prank, the story of Taro Tsujimoto highlights 2 things: the quirks of old-school sports management and the creativity of one of hockey’s most colorful executives. Today, with the draft process being highly scrutinized and broadcast live, such a prank would be impossible. But Tsujimoto’s legacy lives on as one of hockey’s greatest inside jokes. What is not a joke are the great rewards that a platform like the Canadian 1xBet site can give you.

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60% of Canadians gamble each month – why the industry is going from strength to strength

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When it comes to regulating gambling, Canada has a somewhat relaxed approach. The Canadian Gaming Association oversees the industry, but it’s up to individual provinces to enact and enforce any laws relating to online casino gaming, sports betting, traditional casino gaming, and other forms of gambling.

Canada’s online casino gaming laws are not totally clear, but individual provinces are starting to put this right. Ontario was the first and did so when it launched its own regulated igaming market in April 2022. Now some other provinces have followed suit, creating a safer igaming environment for players in those provinces. Below is a look at gambling in Canada compared to other parts of the world, at gaming laws in Alberta compared to other provinces, and at the future of the Canadian, US, and UK gambling industries.

Canada: a forever love of gambling

Gambling in some form or other has always been popular in Canada. Way back in the 1990s, research found six in ten Canadians (60%) gambled every month. Additionally, four in ten (43%) spent between 1 and 20 Canadian dollars on gambling. Fast forward to today and the Canadian gambling market is worth 14.2 billion US dollars as of January 2024, according to data on the website of consumer and market data company Statista.

It seems Canada enjoys wagering just as much as two other countries that love a gamble: the US and the UK. Data on the Statista website shows that 49% of US adults took part in gambling activities in 2023. Fifty-six percent said their attitude towards gambling had relaxed, compared to the 50% of 2019.

The UK returned similar stats for the same year. Forty-eight percent of adults reported engaging in gambling activity. Online casinos generated the most gross gambling yield in 2023, but it was the nation’s National Lottery that people played the most.

 

Alberta: following Ontario’s lead

The regulatory developments in Ontario have triggered movement in Alberta. In May 2024, Bill 16, the Red Tape Reduction Amendment Act, made it through the process and later received Royal Assent to become law. The act removes the monopoly of gaming by a single government entity and will allow private operators, licensed by Alberta’s provincial regulator, to provide online gaming services in Alberta, meaning players will have a choice of more than one Alberta online casino to play at.

The regulation transforms Alberta into one of the more liberal provinces when it comes to online gambling, others being Quebec, Ontario, and British Columbia.

Several provinces, such as Novia Scotia and Northwest Territories, have no provincially regulated online gaming sites. Some also restrict betting on horse racing and/or other types of sports betting, obliging citizens to use international betting sites for freedom from caps and betting on as many events as they wish.

What lies ahead for the Canadian, US, and UK gambling industries?

Canada’s appetite for gambling is clear, and the industry’s online sector is beginning to thrive. Ontario has enjoyed vast success by creating its own regulated market, one which, in just its first year, saw Canadians place billions in wagers and the industry itself generate more than a billion in total gaming revenue.

Canada can expect to see other provinces follow Ontario’s lead and allow private operators to provide services in the province under license. The purpose of the regulation is player protection. Any province that develops a regulated market will focus on this, so there will also be regulations around the advertising of gambling services.

The US

Gambling online is the future for the US, too, although states are slow to legalize it. As of September 2024, 38 states had legalized sports betting, following the US Supreme Court’s ruling that states could regulate sports gambling directly.

Despite allowing sports betting, some states only permit in-person betting, and only a few states allow online casino gaming. Operators believe online casino gaming is the future of gambling.

The UK

In the UK, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) will get bigger and bigger. Companies have realized AI can enhance players’ experience and are embracing it more and more. For instance, sports betting websites can use it to crunch data and provide iGamers with stats and other data to make better betting decisions. They’re also understanding they can use AI to prioritize content players are likely to be interested in and to personalize their offerings and services to players’ preferences.

Canada enjoys gambling as much as America and the UK. Although laws around igaming are more of a grey area in Canada, some provinces are clearing the issue up by creating regulated markets and experiencing great success. As time goes by, more are sure to follow.

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