Sports Betting Ads in Canada Could Soon Be Banned

June 07, 2023 at 09:05 AM EDT

If you’ve watched any of the recent sports games in Canada, you were likely ambushed by a series of sports gambling advertisements featuring famous athletes like Wayne Gretzky, George St-Pierre or Connor McDavid.

In Ontario, the prevalence of gambling ads has increased significantly since the province launched regulated online sports betting last April, but one group is looking to have them banned.

The Campaign to Ban Gambling Advertising is led by prominent Canadians who believe sports betting ads are harmful to young people and those with a gambling addiction.

The group, which was launched by former Toronto mayor John Sewell and Greater Toronto Hockey League board member Karl Subban, father of former NHL star P. K. Subban, hopes for new advertising restrictions similar to that of alcohol and cannabis.

Of course, Subban and Sewell are not alone in their sentiments. A recent poll found that 48% of Canadians believe that sports betting sites advertise excessively in Ontario. According to a study of gambling behavior released by Statistics Canada last year, more than 300,000 Canadians are at “severe” or “moderate risk” for gambling-related issues.

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) is considering banning sports and celebrity iGaming advertising.

If the new laws are implemented, any gambling ads that include active or retired athletes will be prohibited. They would also make it illegal for businesses to use cartoon figures, social media influencers, celebrities, and symbols or role models that are “reasonably expected to appeal to minors” in their advertising.

The new regulations would be added to the province’s internet gambling advertising requirements. According to iGo, there have been more than 1.6 million active player accounts on websites managed by companies with agreements with iGaming Ontario (iGo) since Ontario became the first province in Canada to create an open, regulated iGaming industry. There are about 40 operators with such agreements, with 31 offering sports betting.

On April 4, iGo reported that in the first year of the legal online gambling market, the province generated “about $35.6 billion in total wagers and approximately $1.4 billion in total gaming revenue.” However, those figures do not only include sports betting, but include casino games and peer-to-peer poker. The iGo data does not specify the percentage of wagers that were solely on sports.

Engaging, Attracting and Retaining Sports Bettors With Content

One company that’s doing things differently is NorthStar Gaming Holdings Inc. (TSXV:BET). Instead of spending money to hire an athlete as a brand ambassador, Northstar is producing original, hyper-local sports content to increase brand awareness and stickiness among their player base.

The company’s premium local sports content includes columns, live Q&As and other appearances from Northstar Sr. NHL insider Chris Johnston – one of Ontario’s most familiar and popular voices on the Toronto Maple Leafs – plus hundreds of sports betting articles and social media content produced monthly and distributed on social and on the Nortstar Bets website and app by Northstar’s team of expert sports betting writers.

Additionally, in keeping with its made-in-Ontario strategy, NorthStar Gaming has partnered with Parleh Media Group, Canada’s first sports betting content network, to create a variety of dynamic sports betting-themed videos, podcasts, and social media content, much of it featuring Northstar’s own content team. NorthStar Gaming syndicates the content across its own domains as well as third-party channels, including Torstar Corporation’s digital and social platforms.

As Ontario is currently considering a ban on celebrity sponsorship of igaming properties, NorthStar’s decision to not pursue an athlete ambassador, but instead rely on a high-profile hockey insider and premium betting content, was a smart choice that provides the company with a clear competitive advantage.

NorthStar‘s position as an industry innovator and leader in the growing intersection of igaming and media is strengthened by this agreement. NorthStar Gaming is the one and only official sportsbook and casino affiliate partner for Parleh’s owned and managed digital platforms in Ontario.

NorthStar Gaming Holdings Inc. (TSXV:BET) runs NorthStar Bets, a casino and sportsbook gambling platform with a decidedly local feel. The platform features a sportsbook that gives real-time news, data, analysis, and scores immediately within the betting environment, as well as a large choice of popular online casino games.

NorthStar Bets was created in collaboration with Playtech PLC (LSE:PTECH) (OTC:PYTCY), a major provider of B2C gaming technology. Playtech became NorthStar‘s strategic software and services supplier, supplying its IMS platform and casino services to Ontario’s gambling sector as part of the relationship.

Playtech also made a C$12.25 million strategic investment in Northstar Gaming to spur expansion and growth in the Canadian industry. This investment completed Northstar‘s reverse takeover (RTO) financing, raising a total of C$22.33 million in gross revenues.

NorthStar Gaming provides an unrivaled casino and sportsbook experience, in addition to live, on-call agents and original sports news and gaming content. The company benefits from its local presence by leveraging its strong Ontario roots, allowing it to keep in tune with the province’s preferences and adapt accordingly.

Because of collaborations and agreements with notable media companies, including an omnichannel advertising and marketing services agreement with Torstar Corporation, the founder of the Toronto Star, NorthStar is well-positioned to become a leader in the intersection of sports media and sports wagering.

NorthStar, which is regulated by the Ontario Alcohol and Gaming Commission (OAGC) and operates under an operating agreement with iGaming Ontario, is committed to being a gaming industry leader by following the highest security and integrity standards demanded by Canadians.

Slapshot Media, a Canadian iGaming marketing and managed services company, was acquired by NorthStar Gaming on May 8. Through its affiliation with Spreads.ca, an iGaming site owned and run by the Abenaki Council of Wolinak, NorthStar‘s position in the Canadian market outside of Ontario is enhanced, and its target market is greatly expanded.

For more information about NorthStar Gaming Holdings Inc. (TSXV:BET), click this link or visit their website at northstargaming.ca.

Featured Image @ FreePik

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