As Super Bowl is one of the largest sporting events of the year, British Columbia Lottery Corporation expects massive online wagering activity. For this year’s Super Bowl LVII which was contested last night, the Crown agency expects the final to attract approximately CA$2.5 million in sports bets on its regulated iGaming platform PlayNow.com.
Since the legalization of single-event wagering by the Canadian federal government in August 2021, the Super Bowl turned into an even larger wagering opportunity for bettors. Prior to that, Canadians were unable to bet only on the game, and instead, they had to either use parlay betting combinations or place their predictions on an unregulated website.
Projecting Massive Handle
Sunday’s clash between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles saw a tight victory from The Chiefs. The BCLC is expecting that the weekend will bring approximately CA$2.5 million in wagers on its PlayNow, which is the only regulated platform for sports betting in the province. Last year’s edition of the Super Bowl recorded around CA$2.5 million.
A spokesperson for the Crown corporation, Matt Lee, commented that this year’s edition of the NFL final will bring an even larger wagering volume than last year’s tally on PlayNow. He elaborated that last year’s volume was record-breaking, but this year’s edition has the potential to be even larger due to the fact that the sports betting industry has grown over the last 12 months.
According to data from the BCLC, last year, B.C. sports fans wagered close to US$2.5 million on the Super Bowl. And Mr. Lee’s rough estimate for the grand final in 2022 is that there were tens of thousands in total bets on PlayNow. He also explained that most of the prizes were not that large, somewhere up to a few thousand dollars from the game.
On Wednesday, February 8, 2023, the BCLC issued a statement reminding its local bettors not to wager to make money but instead to play for fun. Dan Beebe, Chief Operating Officer for the Crown organization, notes that the Super Bowl is a marquee sports-wagering event for many locals, and the Crown wants them to have the best experience.
For this year’s edition of the Super Bowl, the BCLC launched a new marketing campaign this week, and it is specifically designed for sports bettors. It reminded locals that it is recommended to take breaks from gambling and the value of now allowing pressure to influence their betting decisions. More information on limits can be found on GameSense.com.
Strengthening Anti-Money Laundering Policies
At the start of the new year, BCLC strengthened its anti-money laundering protocols in a collaboration with Everi Holdings Inc. Via the agreement, the supplier of brick-and-mortar and online casino content will implement its Everi Compliance Anti-Money Laundering solution to the Crown agency’s land-based and digital activities.
Source: Clarkson, Becca “Super Bowl expected to bring in more than $2.5M in online bets: BCLC” CTV News Vancouver, February 10, 2023
