Some Canadian punters need only make a relatively short drive to “take in the games and matches on big-screen TVs, place [their] bets, and order a nosh all in one place."
However, those bettors will also need their passports. That is because the Sports Lounge at Seneca Niagara Resort and Casino is in Niagara Falls, New York, not Ontario.
And while sports betting in New York includes the casino-based and mobile varieties, Ontario sports betting is online and through provincial lottery retailers. Although there are more than 20 casinos and brick-and-mortar gaming facilities in Canada’s most populous province, none have opened anything yet like the Seneca Niagara's Sports Lounge.
It’s not supposed to be like this. In August 2021, when the federal government announced when single-game sports betting would be decriminalized in Canada, the press release said that "communities with existing casinos and other gaming operations, particularly along the Canada-U.S. border, could benefit” from the change.
Indeed, one of the driving forces behind the legalization of single-game sports betting in Canada was to allow casinos to open brick-and-mortar sportsbooks like those seen in Niagara Falls, Detroit, and (albeit a bit more of a drive) Washington state. These retail books attract Canadian customers and their wagering dollars.
Is that all there is?
But even though single-game sports betting has been allowed in Canada for more than a year, and as online sports betting has grown, the country has yet to open a Las Vegas-like (or even Las Vegas-light) brick-and-mortar sportsbook to the public. The most analog experience for Canadian sports bettors at the moment is walking into a convenience store and filling out a paper slip.
Understandably, some Canadian players are eager for a better in-person betting experience, especially as online wagering via the "grey market" was available before the recent burst of legalization. So, what’s the hold-up?
In short, the very Canadian division of powers over gaming has helped keep progress very gradual. It has fallen to the provinces to breathe life into single-game sports betting in Canada, and they and their agents have not rushed to open retail books. There are also Indigenous communities who have stakes in the gaming industry and whose interests must be considered.
However — deep breaths — things are going to change. Retail sports betting in Canada is going to get better. The seeds of that betterment have even been planted already.
Changing it up
The latest bit of good news for those keen on the in-person sportsbook experience came on Thursday, when technology company Kambi Group PLC announced it will “provide its leading on-property sportsbook” to 10 of Great Canadian Entertainment’s casinos in Ontario.
Those "Kambi-powered" sportsbooks will include "state-of-the-art" betting kiosks. There will also be one at one of the province's newest land-based casinos, the Pickering Casino Resort just east of Toronto.
Kambi has struck a similar deal to provide retail sports betting at Fallsview Casino Resort and Casino Niagara in Ontario. Thirty-six kiosks are to be installed at the two facilities, which are run day-to-day by Mohegan, in addition to plans to reconfigure Casino Niagara's sports bar into a retail sportsbook.
We are excited to have signed a multi-year partnership with @GRTCanadian, one of the largest gaming and entertainment companies in Canada, to provide our leading on-property sportsbook to 10 of the operator’s casinos in the province of Ontario.https://t.co/tNulhbi7Ej pic.twitter.com/TksobyBjP3
— Kambi (@KambiSports) October 20, 2022
When exactly the retail sportsbooks or betting kiosks at the casinos will start accepting bets remains to be seen. It is in the works, though, according to the ultimate owner of those facilities.
“Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) continues to work with casino service providers to offer sports betting at Ontario casinos,” a spokesperson for the provincial lottery said in an email. “Sportsbooks will give casino enthusiasts additional exciting entertainment experiences in a safe, responsible, and secure environment. OLG will provide updates as more details become available.”
Plans are also afoot in Canada’s second-most populous province to provide a richer retail experience for sports bettors. There, the provincial lottery says it is "exploring the idea of offering sports betting" in casinos and gaming halls in Quebec.
The western world
Out west, a job posting suggested the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority (SIGA) was recently searching for a “sportsbook program coordinator” that would “analyze, define and present opportunities for an innovative sportsbook experience” at the group’s land-based casinos.
SIGA has seven casinos in the prairie province and has also been chosen to run an online gaming site that will launch in early November. And, according to SIGA President and CEO Zane Hansen, the group intends to start with mobile sports betting before rolling out its retail version.
Still, Hansen said SIGA is doing a major renovation of food and beverage offerings at its Dakota Dunes Casino south of Saskatoon that will try to cater to Saskatchewan sports bettors, such as with big screens for watching games.
That sort of experience will eventually be rolled out across the province, Hansen said, although the wagering at first may have to be done using a smartphone and SIGA's planned PlayNow site.
"We're exploring kiosks for more of that in-venue experience," Hansen added. "But definitely I think your ability to wager and do what you like will not be hindered at all."
Further west, Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis announced in December 2021 that it was seeking bids from sports-betting companies to help offer retail and online wagering in the province. Two vendors were being sought at first but the provincial agency said it would consider additional opportunities as the Alberta market matures.
“AGLC is proud to facilitate this next step that will involve the existing casino and racing entertainment centre industry while working with Alberta’s major professional sports teams,” AGLC president and CEO Kandice Machado said in a press release.
An AGLC spokesperson added on Friday that the agency “continues to work through the process” but had no new information to share at this time.
Sports bettors in British Columbia have been promised more retail options as well. British Columbia Lottery Corp. said back in June 2021 that it was still exploring ways “to implement single-event sports betting across land-based channels, including casinos and hospitality locations” in the province.
When those channels will open, though, remains a mystery.
