Nova Scotia will launch single-game sports betting on Friday, February 11, an Atlantic Lottery Corporation (ALC) source has confirmed with Covers. Nova Scotia becomes the final province in Canada to offer single-game wagering following the passage of bill C-218 last summer.
Sports betting in Nova Scotia is currently regulated by the ALC and its Pro•Line product. Prior to Feb. 11, bettors were forced to bet parlays by tying together two or more wagers onto the same ticket. As of Friday, customers will be able to place wagers on a single event, such as which team will win the Super Bowl.
The ALC also oversees sports betting in Newfoundland, New Brunswick, and PEI, all of which launched single-game wagering back in August 2021. Nova Scotia delayed the launch because of the provincial election that took place on Aug. 17, 2021, allowing the new government to review its sports betting regulations.
Just in time for the Big Game
For Nova Scotians, single-game betting comes just in time for the biggest betting day on the North American sports calendar: the Super Bowl. Current Super Bowl odds at Pro•Line have the Los Angeles Rams at -4 on the spread at decimal odds of 1.85, while the Cincinnati Bengals are +4 at 1.90.
At current odds, a Rams backer at -4 would need the Rams to win by five or more points. If that happens, a $10 wager would return $18.50. Bengals supporters at +4 would be looking for Cincy to win the game outright or lose by three or fewer points. A $10 wager in that instance would return $19.
Betting on the spread is far from the only option available for Sunday, with Super Bowl props — like whether a certain player will score a touchdown or even which coach will call timeout first — becoming more and more popular each year.
What’s next for Nova Scotia betting?
The ALC’s Pro•Line product is the only regulated sportsbook in Nova Scotia and it could stay that way for a while. While many Nova Scotian bettors are hoping the province follows Ontario’s lead in opening up to increased competition from private sportsbooks, there doesn’t appear to be any immediate plans to do so.
Ontario is set to launch its iGaming market on April 4, 2022, which will give bettors more options for legal betting sites. In fact, more than 30 operators have already applied to do business in the province, with PointsBet, Rivalry Corp., and theScore Bet already receiving their operator registrations. US market leaders FanDuel and DraftKings are also expected to be regulated in Ontario.
