Three professional sports leagues are reportedly supporting a bid to legally authorize multiple private-sector sports betting sites in La Belle Province.
Indeed, according to local media, the Canadian Football League, Major League Soccer, and the National Basketball Association are now backing an effort to install a very different brand of Quebec sports betting than currently exists.
That campaign is led by the Québec Online Gaming Coalition, a group that includes several online operators currently prohibited from offering legal sports betting in the province. In May, the coalition came forward pitching a vision similar to that of Ontario, where multiple private-sector operators can legally offer online sports betting and casino gambling to residents.
Friends in high places
Quebec has one legal provider of online sports betting, Loto-Québec. But the CFL, MLS, and NBA are now reportedly joining the coalition in calling for a new regulatory framework that would authorize multiple private operators in Quebec.
The CFL was a supporter of legalizing single-game sports betting in Canada, which happened in the summer of 2021. And, according to Le Soleil, CFL Commissioner Randy Ambrosie says he is “urging Quebec legislators to fully explore the benefits of introducing a regulated playing environment, one that does not operate in the shadows, but in full view of all, which protects the integrity of the competition and which encourages responsible gaming.”
Similar sentiments were expressed by a representative for the NBA, another supporter of expanded sports betting in Canada and the U.S. Again, according to Le Soleil (per Google Translate), NBA spokesperson Mike Bass said that “if the Quebec government were to create an open and regulated market, the NBA would support this structure, in the same way it supports the competitive market in Ontario.”
The pro leagues throwing their support behind single-game sports betting (after years of opposition) went a long way toward convincing Canadian politicians to legalize it. Let's see what similar support does for a bid to expand legal sports betting in Quebec. https://t.co/8nmiqHVOQ4
— Geoff Zochodne (@GeoffZochodne) September 15, 2023
The Ontario sports betting market remains unique in Canada, as most provinces are like Quebec in restricting the offering of online gambling to government-owned entities, such as lotteries.
In Ontario, though, opening a competitive market in April 2022 has yielded billions in wagering by players and millions of dollars in revenue for the provincial government and the army of new operators. Even for Quebec, which has a smaller population than Ontario, the online gambling coalition is forecasting the province could realize at least $230 million in government revenue a year with an Ontario-like system.
Members of the coalition include Bet99, DraftKings, Flutter (parent company of FanDuel), Entain (part-owner of BetMGM), Betway, and BetRivers-owner Rush Street Interactive. However, it does not appear those names are enough to sway Loto-Québec, which pushed back against the leagues and their support for the coalition’s vision.
A spokesperson for the provincially-owned lottery and gaming corporation told Le Soleil that the leagues “should question themselves about the Coalition’s true intentions,” and alleged some coalition members are illegally taking bets from Quebec residents.
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