Three professional sports leagues, including the Canadian Football League (CFL), the National Basketball League (NBA), and Major League Soccer (MLS), are calling for Quebec to create a new regulatory framework to license several private sports betting brands within the province. The three professional sports leagues are urging the La Belle Province to introduce a similar betting market for third-party brands as Ontario.
The Quebec Online Gaming Coalition is leading the efforts. This group contains multiple online operators that are currently unable to provide legal online sports betting within the province. The coalition proposed a similar framework to that of Ontario in May 2023, giving several third-party operators the ability to provide sports betting and online casino games to local players. Online-Casinos.ca takes a closer look at the potential expansion and the effects it will have in the province.
Sports Leagues Call for a New Regulatory Framework in Quebec
As it currently stands, Loto-Quebec is the only legal online gambling platform in the province. However, the NBA, MLS, and CFL want to change this and have joined the coalition, urging the province to modernise their regulatory framework. With an improved and updated model, licensed private sports betting brands will be able to join the regulated market in the province.
The CFL was an endorser of decriminalising single-event sports betting, becoming a reality in 2021. Randy Ambrosie, the Commissioner of the Canadian Football League, calls for lawmakers in Quebec to fully explore the positives with a regulated playing environment that won't be operating in the shadows. It also states that it would promote responsible play and protect the integrity of the competition.
The NBA is also supporting the opening of the iGaming sector in Quebec to outside operators. Mike Bass, a spokesperson of the National Basketball Association, stated that if the government in Quebec wanted to launch a lawful and open market, the NBA will support the initiative in a similar fashion that it has supported Ontario's competitive and open internet gambling initiative.
Members of the coalition include immensely popular brands, including Rush Street Interactive, Betway, Entain, Flutter Entertainment, DraftKings, and Bet99. However, it is still not enough to convince the province as of yet. A representative of Loto-Quebec stated that the sports leagues need to question the true intentions of the coalition and claimed that some members of the coalition are illegally taking bets from players in Quebec.
Ontario's Online Casino Sector is Doing Well
Meanwhile, the iGaming sector in Ontario continues to reap success. The province recently shared its first quarter's financial report for 2023-2024 and the figures are impressive, to say the least. It reported $545 million in gaming revenue along with $14 billion in online wagering. There was a total of 46 online operators, running 71 gaming websites. The figures from these gambling websites reported 920,000 active user accounts with an average monthly spend of approximately $197.00.
However, the increase in popularity created an influx of iGaming betting ads promoted by private operators. It's for this reason why the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario banned the use of retired or active athletes in endorsements and gambling ads. This is primarily due to the fact that such figures mostly appeal to the younger demographics. Those interested in playing at some of the best Ontario online casinos can take a look at our top recommendations below, providing generous promotional offers coupled with an excellent variety of games in 2024.
- Jackpot City Casino - Newly registered players can claim 50 no deposit free spins on Boom Galaxy before benefitting from $1,600 in bonuses spread across the first 4 deposits at Jackpot City Casino.
- Casino Action - Take advantage of $1,250 in welcome bonuses spread across your first 5 deposits to enjoy more than 700 games on desktop and mobile devices at Casino Action.
- Captain Cooks Casino - Make a minimum deposit of $5 and receive 100 chances to become an instant millionaire. You will also receive up to $500 in bonuses spread across your next 4 deposits at Captain Cooks Casino.
Best Quebec Online Casinos with Sports Betting Platforms
The Quebec sports betting scene received a significant boost when the single-game sports betting market was launched on 27 Aug 2021, the same day Bill C-218 was distributed nationwide. Now that online players are no longer restricted to parlay bets, all eyes have turned to provincial regulators as the industry giants look to tap into the province. Until then, there are trusted and reliable offshore platforms available to online players, Below, we included our top Quebec online casinos with sports betting platforms in 2024.
- Karamba Casino - Newly registered customers will receive a $10 free bet when depositing and betting at least $20 on any sport at Karamba Casino.
- Sportingbet Casino - Register a new account on desktop or mobile and receive a 100% match up to $150 on your initial deposit at Sportingbet Casino.
- Bodog Casino - Kick-start an incredible sports betting experience when you claim a 100% match up to $600 on your initial deposit at Bodog Casino.
Each of our recommendations come equipped with a wider selection of sporting events, better odds, and bigger promotions and bonuses compared to Loto-Quebec's Mise-O-Jeu platform. Once the sports betting market in Quebec opens up to third-party operators, we will be the first to inform you on our site. Therefore, we recommend that you bookmark our online portal to stay up-to-date with the latest news and developments in the Canadian online gambling industry.
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