3/30/2022

Is Sports Gambling Legal In Ontario

Is Sports Gambling Legal In Ontario 9,6/10 8674 reviews

TORONTO, April 12, 2019 – theScore, Inc. (TSX Venture: SCR) (“theScore”) today welcomed proposals by Ontario’s Progressive Conservative government to legalize online gambling in the province. The plans, presented in the provincial government’s budget, also included support for the legalization of single event sports wagering at the federal level.

SINGLE-EVENT SPORTS BETTING PUSH RENEWED The budget also states that Ontario will “engage with the federal government to encourage the legalization of single-event sports wagering.” Unlike other.

With one of the most popular sports apps in North America, theScore is set to become the first media company in North America to launch a sportsbook in the United States after federal legislation prohibiting sports betting was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court in May 2018. theScore’s sports betting platform is scheduled to launch in New Jersey mid-2019.*

Late Thursday, in the Progressive Conservative Government’s “A Plan for the People” provincial budget, proposals were advanced to “establish a competitive market for online legal gambling that will reflect consumer choice while protecting consumers who play on these websites.” The provincial government will now consult with key stakeholders over its plans. In addition, the province confirmed it had already asked the federal government to take action to legalize single event sports wagering. Its full announcement can be read here.

  • In Ontario, the Ontario Lottery and Gambling commission launched their own site as recently as January 2015. Considering the governments enthusiasm about filling their coffers with online casino revenues, laws restricting players are incredibly relaxed.
  • In Ontario, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLGC) is responsible for gaming operations including: province-wide lottery games, charity and aboriginal casinos, slot facilities at race tracks and commercial casinos (Casino Rama, for example). You must be 18 years of age or older to purchase lottery tickets in Ontario, or enter a casino.
  • Sports betting law. According to the budget guidelines Ontario “will commit with the federal government to promote the legalization of single event sports betting.” The approval of sports betting is a federal jurisdiction, unlike other forms of gambling.
  • Ontario online gambling laws – the changes ahead In April 2019, the Conservative government revealed its intention to end the online gambling monopoly by paving the way for a competitive market “ that will reflect consumer choice while protecting consumers who play on these websites ” (Source: igambingbusiness.com ).

John Levy, Founder and CEO of theScore, said he fully supported proposals to finally modernize outdated prohibition laws in the country and said the Company would be prepared to offer online sports betting to Ontarians when legislation permitted.

“theScore has always embraced the fact that sports betting is part of the overall fan experience, and it is finally time for jurisdictions across Canada to adopt common sense sports betting regulation,” he said. “We applaud the Ontario government for taking this very significant first step. As we prepare for the launch of our sportsbook in the United States, we intend to actively participate in the Ontario government’s consultation process.

“theScore is already a highly-recognized brand in Canadian mobile sports, and the most popular mobile sports app in the country. We’ll be ready to provide Canadian fans with a best-in-class mobile sports betting experience when the opportunity arises.”

theScore app, which is used by more than four million sports fans a month and is one of the leading multisport news and data apps in North America, is available in the App Store and on Google Play and offers news, scores, alerts and stats for every major league and competition, including betting line movements for leagues including NBA Basketball, NFL Football, NHL Hockey and MLB Baseball.

*Subject to receiving all required approvals and licenses from the State of New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) and the New Jersey Racing Commission (NJRC).

For more information:
James Bigg
Sr. Manager, Communications
theScore, Inc.
Tel: 647-638-9281
Email: [email protected]

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

About theScore
theScore’s mission is to create highly-engaging digital products and content that empowers the sports fan’s experience. Its flagship mobile app ‘theScore’ is one of the most popular multi-sport news and data apps in North America, serving millions of fans a month. The Company also creates innovative digital sports experiences through its web, social, and esports platforms, and in December 2018 announced plans to launch a mobile sportsbook in the United States.

Forward-looking (safe harbour) statement
Statements made in this news release that relate to future plans, events or performances are forward-looking statements. Any statement containing words such as “may”, “would”, “could”, “will”, “believes”, “plans”, “anticipates”, “estimates”, “expects” or “intends” and other similar statements which are not historical facts contained in this release are forward-looking, and these statements involve risks and uncertainties and are based on current expectations. Such statements reflect theScore’s current views with respect to future events and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Many factors could cause the Company’s actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements that may be expressed or implied by such forward looking statements, including among other things, those which are discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Annual Information Form and Short-form Prospectus as filed with the TSX Venture Exchange and available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and elsewhere in documents that theScore files from time to time with securities regulatory authorities. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual results could differ materially from the expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements except as required by applicable law or regulatory requirements.

Lawyers in the gambling industry hope the third time’s a charm when it comes to the legalization of single-event sports betting in Ontario.

Lawyers in the gambling industry hope the third time’s a charm when it comes to the legalization of single-event sports betting in Ontario.

Vic Fedeli, the province’s finance minister, recently wrote to his federal counterpart, Bill Morneau, requesting an amendment to the Criminal Code, which currently prohibits single-event sports betting across the country.

The request comes after two failed attempts in the last decade by federal NDP MPs to legislate the same change via private member’s bills brought in the House of Commons.

“Maybe it’ll be third time lucky,” says Chantal Cipriano, a lawyer in the Toronto office of international law firm Dickinson Wright LLP. “I think it’s really time to start moving forward, having been stuck in this archaic state for so long.”

“It makes absolutely no sense in my mind to prevent single-event betting,” adds Ilkim Hincer, a partner in McCarthy Tétrault LLP’s Toronto office, who notes that wagers are allowed on accumulator bets involving three games or more.

“It’s a frankly outdated situation that exists in no other jurisdiction in the world,” says Hincer, who, in addition to his role as the head of his firm’s gaming, lottery and eSports practice group, also acts as president and CEO of MT Play, its affiliated global gaming consultancy.

Back in 2011, NDP MP Joe Comartin came closest to eliminating the criminal ban when his proposed bill cleared the Commons — only to get held up in the Senate before finally dying after years on the order paper when Parliament dissolved for the 2015 election.

A second attempt was shot down at an earlier stage in 2016 when MPs in the new Liberal government switched their position on the issue and voted down the private member’s bill brought by the NDP’s Brian Masse at second reading.

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But Hincer points out that a major development in the intervening years south of the border has increased the urgency for Canadian authorities to act.

Last summer, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act. Originally passed in the early 1990s, the law effectively limited single-event sports betting to the state of Nevada, but its demise has opened the way for most other states to get in on the action.

“If they can’t do it lawfully in Canada, folks are going to cross the border and participate in betting there,” Hincer says. “When you have the likes of the NBA and NHL saying they’re fine with the idea, and you consider the reality that it has been going on for years anyway in the grey market of unregulated online betting, it makes sense for us to change the law, modernize and remain competitive.”

According to Cipriano, Ontario’s heavily regulated lottery and gaming market means it wouldn’t be such a huge leap to add single-event sports betting under the existing regulatory umbrella. For example, she says the infrastructure is already in place to license casino operators, slot machine manufacturers and others involved in the industry.

“As part of that process, companies and individuals have to disclose a ton of information about their finances, tax compliance, any litigation history and a laundry list of other items,” Cipriano says. “The nuts and bolts are all there, so it would be more about tailoring that rigorous due diligence framework to apply to a new offering.”

If Fedeli’s pitch to Morneau is ultimately successful, Cipriano says, the province will have three main options for putting a sports betting offering into practice. First, it could run a provincial monopoly along the lines of the Crown corporation that operates online casino PlayOLG.ca.

Alternatively, she says, the province could launch a request-for-proposals competition to identify a suitable operator to run the enterprise on its behalf. Finally, Cipriano says the market could be opened up to private businesses operating under licence, provided the Criminal Code is amended.

Cipriano says she favours the latter option, citing the recent implementation of the private storefront regime for cannabis sales as a regulatory template.

“In my opinion, the private operator model is the one that would truly allow for a free market in which companies and individuals who have been involved in the industry for years would be able to bring competitive products to market,” she says. “If Canadian players feel they’re being forced to play via a government-run corporation or website when there are sites in other jurisdictions with new and more exciting features, I don’t think it’s going to do enough to minimize the unregulated territory that exists.”

For Hincer, single-event sports betting is just the poster child for Canada’s broader problem with gambling regulation.

“We have this very odd, bifurcated model whereby the provinces have jurisdiction to operate and regulate gaming, but the federal government is limited to the high level of the Criminal Code, which basically overrides everything else,” he says.

“It’s a big challenge when you’re trying to shove a lot of modern concepts into outdated laws,” adds Hincer, noting that the last substantial legislative amendments at the federal level occurred in the mid-1980s.

Few in the business can match his breadth of experience, which covers most bases in the gambling industry. After an introduction to the field as general counsel to the British Columbia Lottery Commission, Hincer took up a similar job in the private sector at Ontario’s Casino Rama, which was then owned by a large U.S. lottery operator.

“It ended up being a very operational role, where I learned what it takes to run a casino,” he says of a job that gave him responsibility for 300 staff, aspects of security and surveillance, First Nations relations “and a whole bunch of other things that were critically important to the running of the property.”

Hincer’s next move took him to a private equity firm looking to invest in Ontario’s gaming industry, before he returned to private practice in 2015, ahead of the move to McCarthys last summer.

“I’ve made a lot of connections over the years, wearing multiple hats in both the public and private sector,” he says. “I’ll be able to tap into that experience and hopefully do some interesting and transformative work.”

“We want to be holistic problem solvers and true partners with the industry to elevate its status,” Hincer adds.

According to Peter Czegledy, a member of the gaming practice group at Aird and Berlis LLP, the complexity of the industry and the stakeholders involved gives larger firms an advantage.

“Client needs do vary,” he says, noting that he serves a wide range of businesses, running the gamut from young entrepreneurial enterprises to established multinationals.

“As part of a full-service firm, there isn’t much I can’t offer, directly or indirectly,” Czegledy adds. “I have a large group of specialists that can be drawn on for any given matter,” including employment issues, tax matters, financings and more.

He got involved himself in the mid-1990s after helping a large global gaming firm expand into the North American market via local acquisitions, and he says the new line of work nicely complemented his existing involvement with technology-based businesses.

The sector has grown significantly since then and continues to do so in many areas, including the customer base, product offerings and distribution channels, Czegledy says. Competition has intensified, too, both within the industry and among the law firms that service them:

Is sports gambling legal in ontario state

“There’s more clients involved and more dollars, and people see that opportunity,” he says. “Increasingly, gaming lawyers — or at least those who can provide the most value to their clients — will need a much broader skillset than ever before.”

Editor’s note: The online version of this story was updated Monday April 15, 2019 to clarify Chantal Cipriano’s comments.