The range of sports betting sites on Canada’s West Coast is set to expand.
Intralot announced Thursday that its U.S. subsidiary signed a three-year contract — which includes the possibility of three annual extensions — with the British Columbia Lottery Corp. (BCLC), the government-owned entity that exclusively provides legal sports betting and online casino gambling in the Western province.
The contract with Intralot, a Greek gaming company, will provide BCLC with technology to power the lottery’s retail sportsbooks. Intralot said its retail sports betting platform will be deployed throughout BCLC’s retail network using terminals, “which will be in market in British Columbia this winter, offering sports and lottery products.”
Help yourself
BC sports betting will also be offered via Intralot’s Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) product, which will allow players to prepare digital bet slips and generate a QR code that can be scanned at a terminal. When it launches, Intralot said its retail sports betting platform will be in use at more than 700 self-service kiosks and 3,400 clerk-operated terminals across B.C.
“We are excited to extend our partnership with BCLC in the sports betting sector,” said Nikos Nikolakopoulos, chairman of the board of directors for Intralot Inc., in a press release. “We are looking forward to a close cooperation with the Lottery in order to provide an enhanced retail player experience and responsibly drive the Lottery’s growth to further benefit the British Columbia community.”
The future is now
Thursday’s announcement means legal sports betting in British Columbia is poised to grow beyond its current constraints. While BCLC offers event wagering through lottery retailers and its PlayNow site, the province does not have brick-and-mortar sportsbooks at its 36 casinos and community gaming centres.
Before Canada legalized single-game sports wagering in August 2021, BCLC said that it could eventually bring sports betting to those types of locations. The corporation did not respond to questions from Covers before this article was published.
“In the longer term, in land-based casinos and community gaming centres, BCLC would work with industry, regulator and government partners to introduce licensed sportsbooks in key markets,” the lottery said in February 2021. “Additionally, BCLC would consider enhanced sports-betting offerings at hospitality locations across B.C. that sell lottery products. For example, players would be able to place a bet on the [Vancouver] Canucks game outcome, and follow along while at their local bar or pub.”
