Gambling Weekly News Summary in Canada – 2025/02/28
Sports Betting Records Broken at 4 Nations Final
The 4 Nations final between the United States and Canada occurred last Thursday (February 20), with the Canadian team coming out on top over Team USA with a 3-2 victory. This wasn’t the only historic win from the game. Over the weekend, online sportsbook operators revealed that this was the most bet-on ice hockey game for them, with DraftKings recording their highest-ever handle for a hockey game.
“Handle for the 4 Nations Final surpassed last year’s World Series games and was on par with Sunday afternoon NFL games, which is remarkable when comparing the general scale of hockey and football betting,” ESPN Bet director of North American sports trading Adrian Horton said to ESPN via email.
In addition to DraftKings, ESPN Bet had reported that wagers for the face-off had doubled significantly compared to the teams’ first match earlier that week. BetMGM recorded two and a half times more user bets during the final.
The Canadian sportsbook operated by Penn Entertainment, Score Bet, found that 84% of tickets and 87% of cash favored the Canadian team to win, whereas bettors on the US sportsbook ESPN Bet favored the US moneyline.
Kambi Group Becomes Official Sportsbook Partner of Ontario Lottery
The sports betting provider Kambi Group announced that it had become the official sports betting partner of the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) after the company had taken over the previous deal made by Française des Jeux (FDJ Group) to assume its OLG-FDJ contract until 2032.
The Ontario gambling regulator oversees all gambling and lottery activity in the region. Its online gaming and sportsbook platform, PROLINE, is available online and at 10,000 retail locations, and 100% of revenue generated from it is reinvested back into the province.
This marks a critical moment for Kambi and its growing North American presence. Kambi was also previously granted a Nevada gaming license by the Nevada Gaming Control Board on 30 January this year.
“The prospect of partnering with an organization of the size and stature of OLG is an exciting one for Kambi and we are working diligently to complete the innovation process with FDJ and launch later this year. Ontario has a competitive online market, but I believe a combination of OLG and Kambi will see PROLINE rightly compete with market leaders while continuing to raise the bar of its retail product,” said Werner Becher, Kambi Group’s Chief Executive Officer.
British Columbia Lottery Releases Online Scam Warning
The Canadian gambling regulator, British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC), has warned all residents of the province to be wary of online casino scams.
The Canadian Crown Corporation announced a rise in online sites impersonating local casinos, promising fake bonuses and promotions. These sites used casino logos and licensing to appear as legitimate websites to trick players.
PlayNow.com remains the only regulated online casino in British Columbia, along with its adjacent sites BCLC Lotto!, PlayNow Poker BC, and PlayNow BC Sportsbook.
The regulator stressed that residents should not give away their card details and social security numbers if prompted and should remain vigilant. All official websites will be verified by a checkmark to help users distinguish them from scam websites.
Ziv (Steve) Chen
CEO at Major League Content
Ziv has been working in the iGaming industry for more than two decades, serving in senior roles in software developers like Playtech and Microgaming. He then followed his lifelong passion of writing and became a fulltime journalist, covering casinos, sports betting, legislation and other gambling topics and news with a specialty in North America.
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ziv-steve-chen-94b01b5/
