While a new coalition would likely have the conversation, Ontario’s style of iGaming has taken years to develop, so creating something similar in Quebec will take time, if at all.
A radical proposal related to sports betting sites and one of Canada’s largest provinces was published this week. If it wasn’t understood, it’s possibly because the name in the press release understated it: “Online gambling industry leaders create coalition to announce regulation and guilty gambling in Quebec. “
Who can object to such a thing? Regulation, of course, guilty play, excellent, industry leaders, fantastic. That sounds very reasonable. Members of the recently introduced Coalition québécoise du jeu en ligne (QOGC) come with Bet99, DraftKings, Flutter (parent company of FanDuel), Entain (co-owner of BetMGM), Betway and Rush Street Interactive, owner of BetRivers.
The coalition came with data, such as the effects of a recent Leger Marketing survey highlighting the realities of Canada’s persistent “grey market” for online gambling. These effects included that 71% of Quebecers surveyed believed that the Quebec government also could not simply block personal online gambling operators (which would possibly be regulated or outside the province, but not through the province itself). -par) and 66% were in favor of regulating those operators with a license -and- tax regime.
But what is proposed would be an overhaul of legal sports and online casino games in Canada. Because what those industry leaders need is for Quebec, the most populous province in Canada right now, to look much more like Ontario, Canada’s most populous province.
“The Coalition wishes to work with the Government of Quebec, the local lottery corporation and stakeholders guilty of gambling to expand a transparent regulatory framework for online gambling in Quebec,” the group’s online page states. “In doing so, we must contribute to fostering a guilty and protective environment that protects consumers while delivering profits to the Government of Quebec through a licensing and taxing model, similar to Ontario’s.
Again, this turns out to be a moderate request. Consider the Ontario model, folks!And yet, the difference between Quebec and Ontario sports right now is huge.
Quebec has only one legal online sports provider, Loto-Québec, and Ontario has, well, several. take time, if it ever happens.
The Ontario government introduced a competitive marketplace for online sports and web casinos in April 2022. This regulatory framework is now home to more than 70 gaming websites, in addition to virtual offerings controlled through Ontario’s equivalent of Loto-Québec, the government. The Ontario-owned setup of Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. has resulted in more than $35 billion in total (sportsArray casino and poker) and $1. 4 billion in gross gaming profits in more than a year of operation.
In Quebec, Loto-Québec details the specificities of its online gaming operations, grouping them with other business segments. For example, the “Crown Corporation” reported online casino profits of $70. 5 million in its third quarter, which ended December 26, and $201. 6 million in year-to-date profit. This comes with Quebec sports betting, which comes with another industry.
But then again, this is an operator. What the new coalition needs is to open the door to Loto-Québec’s competitors. In Quebec, you have to decide if you will fly. For LQ, it’s not a start.
“Some members of the coalition that was formed to announce guilty gambling and a new regulatory framework in Quebec are already violating the Criminal Code of Canada by providing illegal gambling to Quebec residents, raising serious doubts and questions about their true intentions,” Loto-Québec said. Spokesperson Renaud Dugas told Gaming News Canada: “In Quebec, the regulations may not be clearer: if it’s not Loto-Québec, it’s not legal.
LQ’s comments tell you everything you want to know about the kind of opposition the coalition will face in Quebec, which likes to do things its own way. It is the province that is home to Quebec Inc. , the Quebec Pension Plan and two failed attempts. An attempt to allow the festival by corporations founded outside Quebec will meet resistance, even if it is only online sports betting.
And yet, you may never get anything from the Quebec government unless you ask for it, which is what those online gaming operators do. Quebec also has a population that places it among some of the largest gaming markets in the United States, such as Virginia. There’s an explanation for why a Boston-based company like DraftKings needs to place bets on Baie-Comeau.
An Ontario-style style in Quebec would also (presumably) allow operators to offer online casino games, which is a significant merit for them in Ontario. These higher-margin games are the cornerstone of companies’ profitability plans and a great explanation for why bookmakers love the Ontario market.
But the bottom line is how Ontario even got to this point. It didn’t happen overnight and it took years of work and a few lucky bounces to make things compatible in combination as well as they did (despite the advertising overload, regulators are already looking at the curb).
The Ontario government first announced its plans for a competitive iGaming market in 2019; This market was introduced 3 years later. In addition, single-game sports betting was still banned in Canada in 2019; It wasn’t until two years later that the federal government decriminalized singles, everything the province had no control over.
Ontario’s iGaming market position and single-game betting progressed on separate tracks before, even though everything converged with the launch of the market position in April 2022. with FanDuel instead of betting on everything. Under the sun in individual quantities (if applicable). Therefore, patience may be the watchword of bettors and operators who are looking at Quebec and hoping it will be the next Ontario.
Another thing in light of the coalition’s announcement is who exactly the companies are targeting. Quebec is natural given its size, but beyond that, there’s no real indication the province was having anything like Ontario’s online gaming market.
How do we know that Quebec’s interest in a competitive iGaming market is low?Well, the coalition itself noted a 2014 report that the provincial government “takes steps to put in place a new regulatory regime based on a licensing style for personal operators. “
That was almost a decade ago. That didn’t happen.
However, there is one small exception to the lack of interest in broader online gambling, and that is Alberta. The Western Province announced in December 2021 that it was looking for places in the gaming industry for online and retail sports betting options. Alberta Games, Liquor and Cannabis said they are looking at two corporations to provide those options, which they hope to identify in 2022. It’s now 2023, and the only legal online gambling provider in Alberta is AGLC’s Play Alberta site.
Right now, a provincial election crusade is underway in Alberta, so clarity on the gambling scenario may take time. the online gambling, in Alberta, which has done so, is eye-opening.
A spokesperson for Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis told Covers in an email Thursday that there is “nothing new” to report.
“AGLC is still running on the NRFP procedure and will provide an update when we can,” they added.