Ontarians planning to bet more on the Super Bowl and do more of that wagering legally
That’s just a few of the trends we gleaned from comparing the Responsible Gambling Council’s latest Super Bowl betting survey with those from the last three years.
Ontario sports bettors plan to wager more money than ever on this year’s Super Bowl, and a record percentage plan to place those bets via legal sportsbooks.
That’s just some of the obvious trends Gaming News Canada (GNC) gleaned from the latest Responsible Gambling Council (RGC) survey about Ontarians’ Super Bowl betting habits released Tuesday.
Annually, the RGC polls about 1,000 Ontario residents 18 or older. GNC compared the survey results from 2022 onward to see if there were any interesting trends in attitudes toward Super Bowl betting.
The timeline is interesting because the regulated online gambling sector launched in Ontario about two months after the 2022 Super Bowl. This gives us some idea about sports betting attitudes as the market has matured.
This year, 50% said they planned to make those Super Bowl bets via legal sportsbook. That’s up from 44% in 2024 and 41% in 2023, the first Super Bowl after Ontario opened a regulated market.
But while that’s a promising sign, there are some concerns about the number trends.
This year, 27% of respondents said they would bet $100 or more on the Super Bowl. That’s up from 19% from the 2023 survey. Conversely, those who said they would bet $100 or less has fallen from 80% in 2023 to 56% this year. Betting more, of course, can also be a positive for operators and the sector overall, if done responsibly.
In that vein, one slightly positive trend is the number of respondents who said, “sports knowledge gives them an edge.” That has dropped from 74% in 2024 to 67% this year. Believing one has an edge is one of the signs of a potential gambling problem, so perhaps education has chipped away at that myth. On the flip side, the fact that two-thirds of the respondents believe they have a true edge is, obviously, still too high, as is the fact that 33% said they don’t plan to use any of the operators’ responsible gambling tools.
Also, the number of people who said they have bet more than they could afford to lose has grown from 24% in 2024 to 36% this year. That one is concerning.
Overall, the percentage of respondents who said they expected to bet on this year’s Super Bowl was 48%. That’s up from 41% in 2024, but down from 54% in 2023. The percentage was 42% in 2022.
Other notable results just from this year’s survey were:
Placed a bet after seeing a gambling ad online or on television: 35%
Will bet with friends and/or family: 30% (down from 44% in 2024)
Will bet in a pool: 20% (down from 23% in 2024, 29% in 2023 and 40% in 2022)
Will bet a single time on the outcome of the game: 55%
Will bet multiple times throughout the game using one sportsbook website: 25%
Will be using several sportsbook sites: 15%
RGC tips for safer sports betting
The RGC has provided a list of tips for safer sports betting that include:
Be mindful of the illusion of control. Remember that even with sports expertise a win is not guaranteed and understanding the game, players or stats won’t boost your chances of predicting a random outcome
Be aware that time spent, and knowledge gained won’t help you “beat the odds”
Plan before you play – pre-set betting limits and stay within your budget
Only gamble with money you can afford to lose – never borrow money or use money intended for necessities, like rent/mortgage or food
Never chase losses by trying to win back what you’ve lost
Limit your alcohol, cannabis, and/or other substance intake
Don’t bet if you are upset or stressed
View sports betting as entertainment, not a way to make money
To learn how to keep sports betting safer, visit Gambling is Random.
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AGCO responds to questions about phony online casino ads
GNC has reported multiple times about the rise of ads for phony Canadian online casinos on Meta platforms Instagram and Facebook.
In our latest post on the subject, we said we had reached out to the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) to ask what it has done and still could do to try to halt the ads. We also said we would publish the AGCO’s response when we received it.
The AGCO media team responded on Friday after we published. That response, in verbatim, is:
“The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) is aware of these illegal ads/sites. While the AGCO does not have any jurisdiction over such illegal sites, we have reached out to Casino Niagara so they could decide whether to alert Facebook and Instagram and to take cease and desist action.
“In May 2024, the AGCO, in partnership with the Ontario Provincial Police’s Investigation and Enforcement Bureau (IEB) cautioned Ontarians about unregulated, online casino gaming sites that were being advertised through social media.
“The same warning applies here: Ontarians who choose to gamble online are encouraged to always confirm that the website they are playing on is registered with the AGCO. Other than the Ontario Lottery and Gaming website, OLG.ca, which is owned and regulated by the Ontario government, players can be assured that a website is regulated if the iGaming Ontario logo appears on the website and in ads. Players can also look up the name of the gaming site on the iGaming Ontario database to determine if the site is regulated.”
Thank you to the AGCO for the response.
Our take: Since a major tenet of the AGCO is to protect Ontario consumers, we find the response that the regulator has no jurisdiction over illegal operators a little lacking. While it’s fine to issue alerts both to consumers and the operators whose names are illegally being used by scammers, we still feel a strongly-worded cease and desist letter from the AGCO’s legal team to Meta to stop allowing the ads would carry more weight.
In the midst of the U.S. tariff threat, Rivalry doubles down on being Canadian
Rivalry, the Ontario-based online esports, casino and sports betting operator, is proudly flying the red and white Maple Leaf this week amid troubling U.S. tariff threats from U.S. President Donald Trump.
Rivalry co-founder and CEO Steven Salz posted a passionate message hoping to join a movement that sees millions of Canadians actively trying to buy Canadian.
Salz wrote:
“I was born and raised here, and co-founded Rivalry out of a basement in Toronto. All this talk of tariffs and narrative from the US painting us as weak, and caving to demands, is bulls - - -.
“More than ever, we need to show we have that drive to win. My goal is to do that with Rivalry, to build the winning product for sports bettors and casino players, and do that proudly as a 100% Canadian company.
“To start, I want to show our commitment. We’re bringing more money back to your pocket when you bet locally. For all of February all Ontario players get 25% cashback on all wagers on Rivalry.
“Let's talk, share your experience, be part of building the market leading product with us. Let's make a Canadian a winner in Ontario, not American or offshore. I'm always available through on-site chat.
“When we bet on Canada, we all win.”
His take and those of other Canadians not so thrilled with their American neighbours — and yes, the ‘u’ belongs there — reminded me of those popular Molson Canadian, I Am Canadian commercials from – yikes – 25 years ago.
Geiger, Learmonth and The Starties story on the GNCS
WagerWire co-founder Travis Geiger and gambling startups insider Jesse Learmonth (the man behind the Betting Startups podcast) were Steve McAllister’s guests on the most recent Gaming News Canada show, presented, with our gratitude, by GBG Plc.
The pair talked about launching a new industry awards program called The Starties, which will make their debut at next month’s NEXT.io Summit New York.
Learmonth and Geiger presented the backstory behind the awards, which has a presenting sponsor in Eberg Capital and additional backing from Defy the Odds, Optimove Ignite+ and Sportradar Futures Hub. By the by, nominations are now being accepted for the various categories. They also discussed the current state of real-money gaming startups, including the opportunities and challenges for new businesses.
You can listen to the show here via your favourite podcasting app or watch it here:
Worth A Watch & Listen
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MLB umpire fired for sharing betting accounts with friend who bet on baseball
The Associated Press has reported that Major League Baseball (MLB) umpire Pat Hoberg was officially fired on Monday for allegedly “sharing his legal sports gambling accounts with a friend who bet on baseball games and for intentionally deleting electronic messages pertinent to the league's investigation.”
An investigation was launched by MLB in February of 2024 after a legal sportsbook alerted the league to a potential problem. That’s another positive for the regulated market.
Hoberg did not umpire last season.
MLB said Hoberg’s friend made 141 baseball bets between April 2, 2021, and Nov. 1, 2023, totalling almost $214,000 with an overall win of nearly $35,000.
“The strict enforcement of Major League Baseball’s rules governing sports betting conduct is a critical component of upholding our most important priority: protecting the integrity of our games for the fans," MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. "An extensive investigation revealed no evidence that Mr. Hoberg placed bets on baseball directly or that he or anyone else manipulated games in any way.
"However, his extremely poor judgment in sharing betting accounts with a professional poker player he had reason to believe bet on baseball and who did, in fact, bet on baseball from the shared accounts, combined with his deletion of messages, creates at minimum the appearance of impropriety that warrants imposing the most severe discipline. Therefore, there is just cause to uphold Mr. Hoberg’s termination for failing to conform to high standards of personal conduct and to maintain the integrity of the game of baseball.”
So, is the proliferation of sports betting ruining sports?
Covers’ senior news analyst Geoff Zochodne wrote on Monday, in part 3 of a series on “The True State of US Sports Betting,” makes the case that it is not.
“There are tools to address the more egregious problems, and they stem from the legalization and regulation of online sports betting,” Zochodne wrote. “If something must be changed, it can be. It just requires the desire and focus of those with the power to do so. In some jurisdictions, the interest is there.”
People on the Move
Former Playmaker Capital founder Jordan Gnat is named Executive Chairman at Sandhills Gaming Corporation.
Brian Mattingly resigns as the Chair of Playtech, which has begun searching for his replacement.
Tommy Gilanyi posted on LinkedIn last week that he’s a Co-Founder of Native Sportsbook & iGaming.
Long-time sports communications executive David Higdon, most recently with Riot Games, is the new Executive Vice President of Communications for the Kansas City Chiefs.
Former Niantic Inc. marketing lead Mike Quigley is appointed Chief Marketing Officer at PrizePicks.
Adam Miles joins BetGames as Head of Sales.
There’s been a quartet of additions to the executive team at GameSquare Holdings.
Ifrah Naeem comes on board at PointsBet Canada as an AML Analyst.
Speaking of PB Canada, Keesje Kort is leaving his brand and partnership role there to join The Curling Group. Also, David Borlack is promoted by PBC to Senior Director, VIP & Promotions.
Shea Scheft is promoted to Head of Business Development for EMEA/APAC at OpticOdds.
Former Tennis Canada head honcho Michael Downey is named interim Chief Executive Officer at Gymnastics Canada.
George Fadel is the new Vice President of Marketing for the Canadian Premier League.
Jonny Sonkin has a new title at Front Office Sports: Chief Operating Officer.
Classified (Jobs) Information
The British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC) has four seats to fill on its Board of Directors.
Wanted at iGaming Ontario: an Anti-Money Laundering Reporting Analyst.
PointsBet has an opportunity Down Under for a Head of Architecture.
Betway Group has an opening in jolly old England for a Head of Mobile Marketing. It’s also searching for a Head of Content.
Aristocrat is on the lookout for a legal beagle with branding expertise.
Hard Rock Digital has an opportunity for a Loyalty Analyst at its Hollywood, Fla., location. HRD is also seeking an AI Engineer – Process Automation.
Wanted by DraftKings for its Boston location: an Account Operations Senior Associate.
FanDuel is advertising for an Acquisition Strategy Senior Manager. And, there’s a hybrid opportunity at the operator’s Edinburgh offices for a Product Owner – Acquisitions. In Toronto, there’s an opening for a Digital Media Manager.
Strive Gaming is hiring a Head of Product Delivery.
Pinnacle’s operation in Toronto has an opening for an R Developer/Engineer. And it’s looking for a Head of Casino to work out of Malta.
Kaizen Gaming is hiring an Affiliate Manager in Toronto.
Wanted by LeoVegas Group: a Director of Operations – UK Market.
Everi Holdings has a posting for a People Operations Specialist.
If you speak Portuguese and Spanish, Play’n GO has an opportunity for a Sales Manager.
Churchill Downs is hiring an Advertising Manager in Virginia.
Relax Gaming needs to add a Talent Acquisition Specialist to its team in Stockholm.
Swintt is in the market for an Account Manager.
OverActive Media has an opening for a Coordinator, Partnerships and Events.
The NBA is searching for a Senior International Data Strategist.
The National Hockey League is hiring a Director of Ticket Operations.
DAZN has a UK-based position available for a Global Insights & Strategy Manager.
The WTA is on the lookout for a Senior Research Analyst.
The Canadian Football League is hiring a Graphic Designer.
Wheelchair Basketball Canada is seeking a Director of Marketing and Communications.
Among several employment opportunities currently at the Toronto Star: a Head of Technology
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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.