As Alberta readies to open its commercial sports betting market, Manitoba is tightening its gray market.
Court of King’s Bench Judge Jeffrey Harris ruled last week that Bodog must cease operating in Manitoba, according to a CBC report. That comes as commercial Canadian sports betting is set to expand with the launch of sportsbooks in Alberta. Saskatchewan separates Manitoba from Alberta.
It also follows the Ontario sports betting regulator’s request for help from media operators to stop promoting offshore sportsbooks, most notably Bodog. Bodog does block users in Quebec and Nova Scotia.
Bodog crackdown in Manitoba
Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries filed an injunction earlier this year against the Antigua and Barbuda-based companies that operate Bodog. Harris’ ruling also requires the company to stop all advertising targeting Manitobans.
Manitoba’s agency filed the injunction on behalf of the Canadian Lottery Coalition, which also includes lotteries in British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Quebec.
In those provinces, only the provincial lotteries can offer online gambling.
Ontario asks for media help
Last month, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario said it talked to more than a dozen media companies, asking them to stop promoting unregulated online gambling operators. The only operator it named specifically was Bodog.
“The AGCO is committed to protecting Ontario players and ensuring they have the safest experience by playing on regulated igaming sites,” AGCO CEO and Registrar Karin Schnarr said.
“By refusing to carry advertising from unregulated and high-risk operators like Bodog, media organizations can exemplify social responsibility and play an important role in protecting Ontarians and supporting Ontario’s regulated market.”
One of the AGCO’s main goals in opening the regulated market to commercial operators was to close the gray market to offshore operators.
Alberta sports betting on its way
Last month, Alberta lawmakers passed the iGaming Alberta Act, which sets the framework for the Alberta sports betting market.
Stakeholders have not set a launch date yet. However, some expect it to open in early 2026.
Closing the black market is also a goal of the commercial market, as Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis estimates its Play Alberta controls less than 50% of the online market.
