Sports gambling in Ontario
The sports gambling in Ontario has taken a new turn with the Ontario and Federal Governments moving towards allowing sports gambling (in the Las Vegas style) in many provincial casinos. Casino revenues in Windsor and the Niagara Falls where increased security at the border and high Canadian dollar have caused fewer visitors from America, have been sagging and to give them a boost Ottawa has been urged by Queen’s Park to amend and change the Criminal Code of Canada and to create legal casino sportsbooks.
Casinos in Ontario already have infrastructure of sportsbooks with scoreboards, seating and TV screens in place but the betting is being limited to Pro-line where they can select the results or outcomes of only three or more events on a “Parlay” betting ticket. The new gambling proposal would allow sports gamblers to place bets on the outcome of football, hockey, baseball, soccer, basketball and other sporting events as apposed to the Parlay multiple betting system that exists under the government run Pro-Line lottery.
The new sportsbooks would give the casinos in Ontario a very huge advantage over US competitors as sportsbook gambling is not allowed in most states except Nevada – Las Vegas and a few others. This is because sports leagues that are professional are against having the sportsbooks in cities that have baseball, basketball, football and hockey teams.
A hitch in getting approval to change Ontario’s Criminal Code is that the minority government of Federal Conservatives is anxious that the New Democrats or the Federal Liberals will oppose this change for purposes that are political. However the fact that sports gambling in the casinos of Niagara Falls and Windsor will be a great competitive benefit and advantage as sports gambling is considered illegal in New York and Michigan.
Unfortunately the residents of Niagara have experienced layoffs at the Casinos at Niagara recently along with a decline in Fort Erie racetrack patronage due to increase in competition (the New York state has better exchange rates) and other issues at the border etc. Therefore it is obvious that a trustworthy, professional and properly regulated sportsbooks would help reduce the illegal sports gambling that is taking place on unregulated websites and offshore sites. Sports gambling or betting is a good tourist draw and should be allowed in Canada. This is because it will attract the Americans to the Niagara Falls and Windsor border casinos and provide excellent entertainment and fun. At present gamblers in Canada bet with sports books located in the UK, Caribbean and other countries where sports gambling is legalized.
The Ontario Government which owns the Casino Windsor hopes that the sports gambling in Ontario will increase with the improvements being made in this casino. The new Legends Sports Lounge, 36 video-displays, comfortable leather chairs and excellent food will attract the sports fans from all over. The success of sports gambling in Ontario will also depend on how the bettors embrace the games offered by the casinos.