Recent geolocation data suggests interest in Quebec for the competitive market for online sports betting in next-door Ontario, which is what a coalition of bookmakers is pushing for in La Belle Province.
GeoComply Solutions Inc. marked the opening of a new office in Toronto this week by publishing fresh figures about Ontario’s regulated market for mobile sports wagering and internet-based casino gambling.
Included in those figures was a note that GeoComply, which assists online sports betting operators in determining the location of customers, helped block approximately 105,000 attempts in Quebec to access Ontario-regulated mobile bookmakers since the start of this NFL season.
“Ontario’s thriving market is a magnet for players everywhere!” the presentation exclaims.
A sign, via data collected by @GeoComply, of interest in an Ontario-like online sports betting market in Quebec.
— Geoff Zochodne (@GeoffZochodne) November 22, 2023
GeoComply says it blocked 105K attempts from Quebec to access Ontario-regulated sportsbooks since the start of this NFL season. (h/t @GamingNewsCA) pic.twitter.com/AtZzRjxcmb
Some of the blocked attempts might be federal government employees living in Quebec but working in Ottawa, on the Ontario side of the provincial border.
Nevertheless, the latest figures come as there is an effort afoot to install an Ontario-like market for sports betting in Quebec.
Ontario remains the only Canadian province that allows multiple private-sector entities to offer online wagering. Most Canadian jurisdictions — Quebec included — restrict legal online gambling to a government-owned lottery or gaming corporation. Ontario, though, has authorized and regulates more than 70 iGaming sites that have taken billions in bets and generated hundreds of millions in revenue.
As a result, Ontario residents can sign up with the likes of bet365, DraftKings, and FanDuel with the blessing of their government. In Quebec, however, the only online sportsbooks regulated by the province is the Loto-Quebec-run Mise-o-jeu, which isn’t enough to stop those who live in the province from trying to see if they can access Ontario’s market.
Several companies are trying to change that by prodding Quebec politicians to adopt an Ontario-like online gaming system.
DraftKings and FanDuel are part of that industry coalition seeking to alter the status quo in Quebec, as are Bet99, BetMGM-co-owner Entain PLC, and Betway. The campaign has not yet produced the desired results but it has attracted support from professional sports leagues, which was key to the successful drive to decriminalize single-game betting in Canada in 2021.
Spoof proof
At any rate, Quebec has a population of around 8.5 million people, which puts it on par with a U.S. state like Virginia, where multiple online sportsbook operators have set up shop. Furthermore, other findings collected by GeoComply provide more evidence about the interest in Quebec for an Ontario-like sports betting market.
GeoComply noted in its latest data dump that it blocked around 750,000 out-of-province attempts to access Ontario's online sports betting market by "IP spoofing," with more than 6,000 of those tries emanating from Quebec.
There were also roughly 2,300 out-of-province tries during the NFL season to access Ontario-regulated sportsbooks by using a proxy within the province, GeoComply said. Of those, 18.68% came from Quebec, or around 430.
Le football est roi
Other figures compiled by GeoComply showed the importance of the NFL to sports betting in Ontario, even if the market is more hockey-crazed than others.
GeoComply said there is a 57% increase in geolocation checks in Ontario on NFL Sundays and that 250,000 new player accounts were created in the province in September and October, compared to 131,000 in July and August.
