Today is an exciting day on the wagering front. A fully open, regulated, competitive sports betting market in Ontario, projected by some to generate $800 million in wagers its first year, is up and running.
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Ontario is Canada’s most populous province, with a population just under 15 million. That would make it the fifth largest U.S. state. New York state, with a population around 19 million, generated $1.54 billion in sports betting wagers in February, a staggering number. That’s a number people following the potential of the Ontario market are following closely.
Bill C-218 passed the Canadian Senate only last June, signed into law then. So a lot has happened during that time. Single event sports betting is already legal across Canada, run by provincial government lotteries like the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, with its PROLINE betting platform. That launched across the country last August.
This morning, though, the market is open to competitive private operators, in a fully regulated framework, pushing out gray market operators. And some of the biggest sports betting brands in the world are already live and accepting money bets in Ontario. Those include iScore Bet, FanDuel, BetMGM, PointsBet, Caesars, 888 Sport, LeoVegas and BetRivers.
Sports betting: Ontario fully open for business
“As of today, there is no more grey market in Ontario, only black,” said Canadian Gaming Association president & CEO Paul Burns. “With the regulations in place, the province finally has the tools to deal with unlicensed operators.”
One issue looking forward is the impact the new licensed digital gaming universe will have on the health of land-based casinos in Canada. We’ll be covering that over the next few days.
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New Royal Oak from Audemars Piguet
Leading the way in watch news this morning is the rollout by Audemars Piguet of its Royal Oak Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon Extra-Thin (RD #3), marking the 50th anniversary of the iconic brand.
The 39 mm stainless steel model measures 8.1 mm in thickness. The Royal Oak is powered by the Manufacture’s new self-winding flying tourbillon movement, Calibre 2968. It’s just 3.4 mm thick and comes adorned with a combination of traditional and hand-crafted decorations. The movement was developed over a five-year period. Glare-proofed sapphire crystal and caseback, water resistant to 50 metres. Bleu Nuit, Nuage 50 dial with Petite Tapisserie pattern, white gold applied hour markers and Royal Oak hands with luminescent coating.
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Top image: sb-borg, iStockphoto
