Ontario has most recently launched its new and regulated iGaming and sports betting market for private operators, which essentially took the monopoly away from the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation. However, despite having major competition from more than a dozen new gaming entities, recently the Crown corporation reported quite an impressive betting activity statistics.
The OLG is a state-run corporation, which up until recently was the only legal entity that offered online sports betting and iGaming in the province of Ontario. This changed as the province opened its new regulated market for private operators, thus providing an immense variety of online sportsbooks and iCasino verticals to the local audiences.
Performing Quite Well
Despite Ontarians having a wide range of online sportsbooks, last week the Crown agency’s digital sportsbook PROLINE+ reported the most handled wagers since the launch of the offering. However, it must be mentioned that this excludes the Super Bowl week. This was due to local teams being busy on the weekend as the Toronto Raptors lost to the Philadelphia 76ers, while the Toronto Blue Jays continue their World Series charge.
With the increase of competitors, the OLG has already made improvements to its PROLINE brand in order to stay up to date. PROLINE+ patrons will be able to utilize new vertical stacks on the betting line page, which makes the interface more user-friendly. The Crown has also added new markets, including NFL Draft props, and props such as “Who Will Be The First Canadian Drafted?” and “Who Will Be The First To Be Drafted By The Buffalo Bills?”
But this is not all, as the Crown plans to further develop its sports betting platform. The OLG said that customers can expect more player props for the upcoming Toronto Maple Leaf’s playoff hockey games. There are also plans to digitize PROLINE Pools products, which can now be found in retail locations. The Crown wants to update the app, so it can pivot from a retail bet builder to a fully transactional product.
In addition to that, the OLG intends to introduce eSports as well as other new sports to its PROLINE brands. However, more details on such offerings will be revealed in the future, along with even more partnerships. The main goal for the Crown remains to unify and satisfy customers of all of its three platforms – lottery, online casino, and sports wagering.
Over 40 Entities Are Live
As of last Friday, the province reported that 23 of the licensed operators and 21 gaming sites by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario are now up and running in the jurisdiction. Most recently, ComeOn announced that it has been approved to join the province, and it has a two-year license, that will allow the company to operate in the province until April 2024.
Sharing Revenues
Over the last couple of weeks, the OLG has also started to sanction its fourth-quarter non-tax gaming revenue allocations to Ontario municipalities that are homes to its land-based properties. For instance, the City of Niagara Falls received CA$2.9 million for the said quarter for hosting both Casino Niagara and Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort on its territory.
