Bananas bets just the beginning of an expected massive Super Sunday
Legal betting on the Super Bowl in the U.S. alone is expected to be a record $1.76 billion this year. Also, the lineup to do business in Alberta is underway.
Welcome to the True North, Strong and Free, where that freedom extends to being able to legally offer a ridiculous number of Super Bowl prop bets, some even our friends across the border can’t offer.
Our southern neighbours are predicted by the American Gaming Association (AGA) to legally bet a record $1.76 billion on this Sunday’s Great American Game between the Seattle Seahawks and New England. Payments platform business Paysafe announced this morning that more than half of sports fans in U.S. states with regulated wagering, Ontario and Alberta, will place a bet on the beeg game. Some of the most novel or the novelty bets, however, are off-limits to Americans unless they’re visiting Ontario where a number of wacky bets are perfectly legal.
In Ontario, you are legally allowed to wager on elections, awards shows, and the winner of the Eurovision Song Contest, but the novelty market is especially rich for the Super Bowl. In the U.S., you are, generally, not allowed to bet on such things as the length of the Super Bowl national anthem, whether Taylor Swift will show up as a special halftime show guest or whether Cardi B will wear a Stefon Diggs jersey because some insiders already know the expected result. In Ontario, those kinds of bets are allowed, mostly because sportsbooks put caps on how much one can wager. It’s all part of making the single biggest sporting wagering event of the year more inclusive, as operators, even in mature markets, still use the Super Bowl as a major customer acquisition day.
Beyond the length of the anthem, in Ontario, you can bet on such things as:
Total length of the last anthem note on the word “brave” held by single Charlie Puth.
Will a player or coach cry during the national anthem?
Will Stefon Diggs propose to Cardi B after the Super Bowl?
What will be the first or last song Bad Bunny sings during the halftime show?
Will Bad Bunny perform an unreleased song?
What headwear will Bad Bunny wear for the first song?
Global, U.S. and Canadian ratings for the game itself and the halftime show, specifically.
What person, place or deity will the game MVP shout out first?
Which San Francisco landmark will be shown first on the broadcast?
What will be the position of the player that pours the Gatorade on the winning coach?
The streaker wager: Odds of there being an “unauthorized” person on the field?
In the U.S., where prediction markets are the big thing – they are largely illegal in Canada – one of the interesting developments are markets on the broadcast itself. David Purdum at ESPN had an interesting article this week on the growing popularity of betting on what the broadcasters say during the game. Purdum wrote that, “more than $47 million has been staked this season on what are known as NFL announcer mention markets.
“During last week’s AFC Championship Game, more than $400,000 was riding on whether the CBS announcing team of Jim Nantz and Tony Romo would say the word ‘honour.’ Those who backed yes were rewarded when Nantz said ‘honours’ with just over a minute left in the second quarter.”
This has raised the hackles of the NFL, which, Purdum writes, “has publicly objected to some of the phrases being featured in mention markets.”
Of course, there are scads of actual wagering possibilities on the game itself – so many options and combinations there’s something to pique even the most novice bettors’ interest. And that’s the hope here: To expose people to the fun of making a small wager of some kind to enhance the viewing experience.
“No single event brings fans together like the Super Bowl, and this record [wagering] figure shows just how much Americans enjoy sports betting as part of the experience,” said Bill Miller, AGA president and CEO. “By choosing legal, regulated sportsbooks, fans are having fun while supporting a safe and responsible market.”
Back in Canada, the sportsbook available to the most Canadians is Proline. It’s legal in all of the Atlantic provinces, Ontario and British Columbia.
The OLG’s Tony Bitonti reports that as of Tuesday:
75% of Proline bets are on Seahawks to win Super Bowl LX
71% of the bets are on the Seahawks to beat the 4.5 point spread (Seahawks -4.5)
70% of bets are on the game going over 45.5 points
The most popular player prop is Rhamondre Stevenson over 15+ rush attempts, followed by Drake Maye over 30+ pass attempts and Cooper Kupp over 30+ receiving yards. Jaxon Smith-Njigba is the most popular bet for first and anytime TD scorer. The most popular bet for MVP winner is Drake Maye.
Yet, all of this requires some major perspective in Ontario. Despite how huge the big game is in a year in which we still have the Olympics, World Cup and NCAA March Madness to come, it’s important to remember that of the $10 billion online gambling sector, “only” $2.36 billion or 23% of that revenue came from sports betting. About 75% of the total pie came from online casinos, which is why the Super Bowl is so important as a customer acquisition day in jurisdictions like Ontario that also have legal online casinos. The goal of operators is to attract people with sports betting and funnel them over to the much-more-profitable online casino.
Which is why Sunday is about way more than bragging rights on the field at Levi’s Stadium.
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Soft2Bet bent on being licensed in Alberta
The chief legal beagle for Soft2Bet, owner and operator of the ToonieBet brand in Ontario’s regulated online gambling market, says the European company likes what it’s seen of the rules and regulations for the incoming legal gaming industry in Alberta.
Gaming News Canada spoke late last week with David Yatom-Hay, who spoke about Soft2Bet’s first year of operating ToonieBet in Ontario when appearing last December on the Gaming News Canada Show presented by Bede Gaming. While he’s still perusing the technical requirements set out by AGLC, Yatom-Hay gave two thumbs-up to what he has seen.
“We’re happy they’ve duplicated most of the Ontario regulations,” the former DraftKings and GamingTech general counsel told GNC. “We’ve had a few conversations with the guys from (the AGCO and iGaming Ontario) Ontario letting them know we’re expanding to Alberta, and they’re very happy about it.
“We’ve exceeded our expectations in Ontario, and we will continue investing in Canada as a whole.”
Yatom-Hay referred to Alberta’s proposed 22.4% gambling tax as “relatively reasonable” and lauded the decision by the Danielle Smith government in western Canada to join Ontario as the only two provinces with an open and competitive gaming industry with private-sector operators and the provincial lottery and gaming corporations.
“You look at Alberta and only 30% actually uses the regulated operator (an Ipsos poll done last year showed 22.7% of respondents gambled on Play Alberta),” he said. “The tax collected will be very valuable and will contribute to Alberta.”
And. . . speaking of Alberta bound. . . .
From the Dept. of Knock Me Over With A Feather. . . Not, Soft2Bet isn’t flying solo in expressing its intentions around Alberta.
ICYMI, Betty Canada boss Chavdar Dimitrov told GNC a few weeks back that it was H-E-double hockey sticks bent on being in the land of the Oilers, Flames, Elks and Stampeders when the market launches. At the same time, BetMGM, which has Oilers captain Connor McDavid on board as a brand ambassador, put out a count-us-in statement.
Yesterday morning, an hour or so before the alarm went off in your humble correspondent’s sleeping chambers, news from PointsBet Canada landed in our inbox with the announcement:
PointsBet Canada today announced that it has commenced the registration process in Alberta and can now begin marketing activities, positioning the company to enter the province as Alberta prepares to become Canada’s second open and competitive regulated iGaming market.
Eligible Alberta residents can now pre-register at https://www.pointsbet.ca/ to receive notification of PointsBet’s launch, along with an exclusive welcome offer, ahead of the full platform rollout expected in the coming months.
Also, from PointsBet Canada grand poobah Scotty Vanderwel:
“Alberta’s move toward an open, competitive iGaming framework is a positive step for Canadian players, offering more choice and consumer protections in a safe and regulated environment. We’re excited to introduce our innovative, Canadian-focused sports betting and online casino products to Alberta residents, supported by industry-leading speed, responsible gaming tools, and local expertise.”
Canadian Gaming Business chronicler Tom Nightingale reported yesterday a number of other Ontario-licensed operators will also be heading west. Makes us wonder when we can expect to see an avalanche of “Alberta bound” commercials and ads popping up on our tele-o-visions and mobile devices.
Your ideas, our execution.
Supporting brands takes on several layers. At Parleh, we help agencies deliver entertaining, engaging video content on behalf of their clients.
To learn more about Parleh’s production capabilities and to learn about how we can help operators and suppliers preparing to do business in Alberta’s new regulated gaming market, please email Lindsay Rennie (lindsay@theparleh.com).
Chernoff chats Covers, and more, on latest GNC Show
Adam Chernoff, the senior manager – growth initiatives at Covers joined host Steve McAllister on the latest version of the Gaming News Canada Show.
Chernoff, a Saskatchewan native, spoke at length about his role and the evolution of regulated gambling in Canada, including a competitive Ontario market that will recognize its four-year anniversary in April and has produced more than $2 billion in tax revenue for the province.
We also asked Chernoff for his thoughts on the incoming open market in Alberta and on the ongoing business of affiliates in the sports wagering and gaming space.
You can listen to the show here or watch it here:
People on the Move
After a half-century career in the gaming industry, most recently as a Vice President at Zitro, Manuela Jimenez is ready for retirement. We wish Manuela well.
Regis Dudena, the Secretary of Prizes and Betting at the Brazilian Ministry of Finance is leaving the position to become the Head of the Secretariat of Economic Reforms.
Tomas Graham, ex of OlyBet Group, is the new Chief Operating Officer at Coolbet.
After 16 years, most recently as Vice President, Commercial – Managing Director, U.S., Dana Jackel bids adieu to Light & Wonder.
Cory Roberts gets a well-deserved promotion to Chief Operating Officer and Publisher at CDC Gaming.
SOFTSWISS names Denis Romanovskiy as its first Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer and Sergey Kastukevich as Chief Technology Officer.
Mans Svalborn steps down as Chief Financial Officer at Raketech.
Galaxy Gaming promotes Greg Stewart to Vice President of Global Sales.
Michael Moosman, ex of IGT, Aristocrat and Bally Technologies, is named Vice President, Product Management & Marketing at Gaming Arts.
Kendall Crean is promoted at Kynisca to Vice President.
Luca Goulard is the new Deputy Executive Director of the World Lottery Association.
Betty appoints Boris Tejeda, ex of Playtech, Entain and GVC Group, as Managing Director, Betty Labs.
Elevate Talent moves Ben Fried into the role of Global Managing Partner – Entertainment & Gaming.
Zachary Roher is named President of Ninety9 Entertainment, which is owned by the proprietors of Bet99.
Speaking of Bet99, the operator has promoted Kyle Richmond to Director of User Acquisition.
Flutter UK & Ireland elevate Huw Radford to Head of Marketing and Business Planning – Sky Gaming.
Rachel McHugh, ex of IGT, Ainsworth and Everi, joins BNDRY as Head of Product – Gaming.
Felicia Gassen has a new title at FanDuel: Senior Director, Responsible Gaming & Community Impact.
OLG promotes Jennifer Louttit to Director, Lottery Integrity. Bianca Liguori joins the corp as Senior Accounting Analyst.
Stacey Wright has a new title at Paramount Commerce: Group Product Marketing Manager.
Robert Loncar, ex of BrainRocket, Wiztech Group and Sevenplay.com, is the new Head of Product at GR8 Tech.
Nicholas Plotnek is introduced as Head of Acquisition at 96.com.
ProphetX names Rachel Barton as Head of People Operations.
Mkodo promotes Faye Kirby to Head of Delivery.
George Stewart is appointed Head of Acquisitions at Poligon Entertainment.
Ernest Mercieca Blake is elevated to Head of Workplace Experience at LeoVegas Group.
UK-based MTM promotes Martin Bradley to Head of Betting & Gaming.
Joseph Beguiristain has a new title at Better Collective: Director of AI Initiatives. And Martina Bogdanovic is promoted to Content Execution Supervisor.
The Downtown Grand Las Vegas promotes Mikaela Maranhas to Director of Marketing.
Aimee Knox is leaving Games Global and her gig as Group Finance Director.
FDJ United names Erik van Hoorn as Regional Head of Legal & Regulatory NL/BE.
Stakelogic moves Marko Zlatkovic into a new role as Head of Product and Project.
Kimberly Yuhl announces she’ll leave Catena Media and her Performance General Manager position at the end of March.
Soft2Bet continues to add to its senior leadership team with the hiring of Saul Braslavsky as Director, Business Development, USA.
Araksya Yakhanechyan departs Digitain after almost five years, most recently as International Finance and Planning Team Lead.
Adrian Bailey takes his leave from Aristocrat Interactive, as Managing Director, Content & Aggregation.
Optimove elevates Enrique Boedo to Director of Sales and Oscar Gutierrez to Account Executive.
Parveen Singh joins the Responsible Gambling Council as Social Media and Communications Specialist.
Tommy Ekback leaves Play’n GO as Regional Business Development Manager in Sweden to join Toro Fastighetsservice.
Evan Crawford has a new gig at DraftKings: Player Development Executive, D.C.
Betsson Group brings Wesley Trollip on board as Senior Engineering Team Lead.
After 10 years, Chris Sieroty is stepping down as U.S. Editor VIXIO Gambling Compliance.
Marian Grodahl joins Fanatics Betting & Gaming as a CRM Specialist.
Josh Sellers is now Talent Partner for Procurement, Property and Strategic Payments across Flutter Functions and the company’s UK & Ireland region. Also at Flutter UK & Ireland, Mitch Fox has a new gig as Head of Product – Reward. And, Eleanor Hemingway is elevated to Senior Media Planning Executive.
Meagen Nugent, ex of MERGE, joins BetMGM as Senior Manager, Technology Implementation.
BLAST promotes Charlie Johnston to Senior Partnerships Manager and names Aron Jacobs as Senior Marketing Manager. Also, Kern Bush-Nelson is now Head of Sponsorship Sales.
Andy Ramsden leaves Flutter to become Lead Product Manager – New Ventures at FanDuel.
Prodromos Kachrimanidis bids adieu to Leo Vegas to join ARRISE as Senior Product Manager.
Former Dentsu gaming strategy director Seana Cavanagh joins RTS as Senior Strategy Manager.
Push Gaming promotes Laima Delareve Stone to Senior Program Manager.
Anca Neagu is now Product Operations Manager at Every Matrix.
Jessica Azzano is promoted to Portfolio Product Manager at Light & Wonder.
Taguhi Movsesyan comes on board SOFT CONSTRUCT as an Account Manager.
UK sports data company Ellipse promotes Samuel Walker to Senior Product Manager.
Wayne Borg has a new title at Rhino Entertainment Group: Operations Performance Manager.
Adam Martin joins Growth Leads as iGaming/Casino Writer.
After a six-year stint, Niklas Fritsch says verabschiedung to Freaks 4U Gaming GmbH.
Christopher Scroggins, co-founder of Esports Development and Growth Enterprise, joins Epic Games as Esports Coordinator.
Kat Khramova has a new gig at SiGMA World: Conference Strategy Lead.
Ethan Goodman is named Senior Key Account Manager at Gaming Corps.
Tim Kidgell joins Flutter UK & Ireland as a Safer Gambling Agent.
Kevin Buffitt is named Senior VP, Publisher Services at Minute Media and Kyle Orr is promoted to Senior VP, Business Development.
Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities promote Stuart McReynolds to Chief Operating Officer.
Nicole Bell is promoted to Head of YouTube Canada.
Sports Business Journal promotes Kami Mattioli to Global Head of Organic Social.
The Athletic introduces Shaneika Dabney-Henderson as Global Head of Video.
True North Sports + Entertainment promotes Kristin LaCroix to Senior Director of Technology.
Rugby Canada appoints Jillian Bowman as Senior Director, Sponsorship & Philanthropy, and Natasha Cyrille as Media and Communications Manager.
Joe Krizman is promoted to Director, Sports Sponsorships at RBC and Emily McManus becomes Senior Manager, Sports Sponsorships.
Alex Joubert, formerly of Cycling Canada, is named Officer, Games Operations & Delivery at the Canadian Paralympic Committee.
The WNBA promotes Andie Lakin to Head of Media and Digital Marketing.
Brent Harrison joins the Ottawa Blackjacks as Corporate Partnerships & Ticketing Manager.
Classified (Jobs) Information
On the Home Front
OLG is in the market for a Director, Retail Sports Product & Operations and is also seeking a Voice of Customer Manager.
PENN Entertainment is looking to hire a Director, CRM.
Legend has a remote opportunity in the city below Aurora for a Casino Content Editor – North American Markets.
DraftKings has a remote opening in the true north, strong and free for a Senior Software Engineer, Platform and a Senior Software Engineer, iOS.
Kaizen Gaming has an opening in Toronto for a Key Account Manager.
Atlantic Lottery has a 12-month contract available for a Digital Product Specialist.
Covers is on the lookout for some freelance talent to support the Social Media team.
Ontario Racing is in the market for a Contract Specialist.
The People’s Wire Service (credit to long-time buddy and Toronto Star hoops scribe Doug Smith) is seeking a Manager, Editorial Visuals.
Special Olympics Canada has an opportunity for a Senior Manager, Events & Partnerships.
Toronto sponsorship agency T1 has a trio of openings up for grabs.
South of the Border
Jackpocket has a remote opening for a Head of Data & Analytics.
SCCG Management is looking for a Director of Casino Sales (Tribal & Commercial Gaming).
Rush Street Interactive is in the market for a Director, Performance Marketing and Ad Tech.
GamesBeat is searching for a B2B Partnerships Director/Client Partner/Account Executive and Barista (OK, we made up that one. . .).
Better Collective has a remote posting for a Senior Manager of Publishing.
MGM Resorts is hiring in Las Vegas a Senior Manager, Enterprise Analytics.
BetMGM has a hybrid opportunity in New Jersey for a Social Media Content Creator.
DraftKings is hiring in North Berwick, ME, an Operations Associate, Jackpocket and in Boston is seeking an Analyst II, Sportsbook Analytics.
Genius Sports is looking for a Business Development Manager – Sports Data.
ALT Sports Data requires a Trading Manager – F1/Motorsports Lead.
Santa Monica-based JSA+Partners is in need of a Senior Public Relations Manager – Gaming & Sports.
The organizers of the 2028 Summer Olympics in LA are searching for a Head of Web & App.
D.C.-based Monumental Sports & Entertainment is looking for a Director, Corporate Communications.
Harvard University is seeking an Assistant Director – Athletic Communications.
The Boston Globe is hiring a Reporter, Women’s Sports.
Vox Media has an opening in New York for a Supervising Producer, a Touch More & Bird’s Eye View.
Across the Ponds
Superbet is seeking a Head of Regulatory Intelligence.
Flutter has out feelers for a Head of Studio Operations – Flutter Studios.
Kaizen Gaming HQ in Athens is seeking a Head of Finance Operations.
GGTech Entertainment is hiring a Head of Social Media for its Global TFT Esports project.
For its London offices, Genius Sports is looking for a Senior Product Manager, Genius Trading Services and a Business Development Manager, EMEA – Sportsbook.
Rhino Entertainment Group has a hybrid opportunity for an SEO Manager.
Finnish gaming operator Veikkaus is looking for a Senior Creative type.
Light & Wonder has an opening in Chiswick, England, for a Partner Manager.
Smartbet is seeking a Talent Acquisition Specialist.
Red Bull Media House in Salzburg has an opportunity for a Head of Data & Analytics – Servus Media.
The annual gathering of the Canadian gaming industry in our home and native land has a new name but is bringing back the best and the brightest minds for the SBC Summit Canada.
The Metro Toronto Convention Centre is once again the site for the 2026 summit, to take place May 19-21. Register today using the PARLEHPARTNERVIP code and receive a 40% discount on your VIP pass.
Reading and Reflection
A Manitoba man told CBC News reporter Justin Fiacconi the story of his gambling addiction and the influence of sports betting advertising.
Nine people have been charged by York Regional Police, which has also secured multiple gaming machines in connection with illegal gambling operations in Vaughan and Toronto.
Canadian Gaming Business scribe Tom Nightingale has the deets on Ontario-bound operator High Roller Technologies’ new partnership deals with Altenar and Kindbridge Behavioral Health.
Another member of the Canadian Senate is calling on the federal government to place a ban against online sports betting advertising.
OLG, with a helping hand from Kambi, is touting a new and improved Proline product in time for the start of the Winter Olympics and the Super Bowl.
Reporting scoopage from Joyce Yang at iGB Affiliate last week that Aristocrat Interactive is putting the Closed sign on its white-label casino business in the United Kingdom.
The PGA Tour, DraftKings and ESPN are collaborating on a new live betting broadcast initiative.
BetMGM is taking aim at customers engaging in harassment of athletes.
As Erik Gibbs chronicled for NEXT.io, the Coalition of Prediction Markets has committed some serious dollars for PR and marketing purposes, beginning with a full-page ad in The Washington Post.
Speaking of PMs, Dustin Gouker has the latest news on everything happening in that fast-moving world in The Closing Line.
Nick Penzenstadler and Carlie Procel did the double-byline thing for USA Today on underage bettors being caught by legal operators.
A Nevada court has issued a two-week ban on Polymarket from doing prediction markets business in the state.
iGaming Expert’s Christian Lee reported on the lack of information available to measure the size of gambling’s global black market.
The governor of Ohio last week said signing the bill to legalize sports betting in his state is the biggest mistake he’s made in seven years at the helm.
Entain legal beagle and chief customer care officer Simon Zinger made the case for collaboration to beat the black market.
The proposed rules around responsible gaming in Finland’s new gambling market are more restrictive than expected. That has one gaming industry expert in Suomi saying it gives the green light to illegal operators.
It seems last month’s ICE Barcelona conference was of the bigly successful sort.
CNN reporter Hannah Keyser told the story of young men getting swept up in the online sports betting frenzy.
The inaugural month of legal sports wagering in the Show Me State drew more than $543 million in handle.
Brant James of InGame reports that Birches Health is seeing some encouraging results with its online program around online gambling addiction. James also has a good read on the fixing of basketball games.
Austin Karp reported for Sports Business Journal that FanDuel is keeping close tabs on the future of Main Street’s regional sports networks.
Nicole Macedo, tapping the keyboard for iGaming Business, reports the new Dutch coalition government wants to ban gambling advertising and limit the number of licences available to operators.
A gambling self-exclusion service in the United Kingdom is seeing a significant hike in registrations by young people.
The National Council on Problem Gambling has a new phone number for people needing help to call.
The hike in gambling taxation in the UK is being pointed at for Entain’s decision to pull its sponsorship from one of the biggest horse racing events on the calendar.
Sportradar senior executive Patrick Mostboeck did the Q and A thing with the aforementioned James.
Finally, the Toronto Blue Jays’ run to the World Series last fall was very, very good for Rogers Communications, including a doubling of media revenue from the previous fiscal year.
Finally, Sid (Vicious) Seixeiro is getting back into the business of talking sports.
To discuss our coverage of your company’s news and announcements and to become an advertiser on Gaming News Canada, please contact steve@gamingnewscanada.ca.
