BetRegal Lands Partnership With CFL
World-renowned online gambling and sportsbook provider BetRegal has announced that it has landed an exclusive multi-year partnership to become the official gaming partner of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The deal will see BetRegal take a prominent role in leading league marketing strategies, beginning with the 2021 season which kicks off on August 5th, 2021.
Online gambling and sportsbook provider BetRegal has announced that it has landed an exclusive multi-year partnership to become the official gaming partner of the Canadian Football League (CFL). ©Pexels/Pixabay
BetRegal Will Also Work With CFL on Fan-Facing Initiatives
Prominent online gambling regulator BetRegal has secured a multi-year exclusive partnership deal with the Canadian Football League (CFL), upon which it will become the league’s official gaming partner.
As part of the new partnership between BetRegal and the Canadian Football League, the betting operator will take a prominent, leading role in the football league’s marketing campaigns, beginning with the kickoff of the CFL’s 2021 season on August 5th.
BetRegal will have access to media assets all throughout the playoffs season, as well as the Grey Cup, including the post-season jersey patch. It will also serve as the betting partner and presenting sponsor of the Grey Cup Festival, offering up exclusive premium experiences during Grey Cup weekend.
In addition to leading marketing strategies, BetRegal will simultaneously work with the CFL on a series of fan-facing initiatives during the 2021 season. These will include operating a free-to-play sportsbook experience, as well as a pick’em style game, enabling fans to select winners and predict scores with the incentive of winning prizes.
The cherry on top of this historic partnership will be Canadian Football Hall of Fame quarterbacks Damon Allen and Matt Dunigan serving as ambassadors to the operator in the roles of ‘BetRegal Legends’.
BetRegal’s Canadian Roots Driving Force Behind Deal
Randy Ambrosie, Commissioner of the Canadian Football League, touted BetRegal’s Canadian roots as worthwhile assets in the two’s recently secured partnership, especially in light of the shifting Canadian gambling market:
“The sports gaming landscape is changing rapidly in Canada and to be able to partner with BetRegal who has international experience, and whose expertise is crucial for growing the league’s business going forward. With BetRegal’s Canadian roots, we can’t wait to collaborate and engage through the Canadian game with our fans across the country.”– Randy Ambrosie, Commissioner, Canadian Football League
Chief Executive of BetRegal Michael Mirtl also cited the shifting legislative landscape surrounding sports betting in Canada, as well as the CFL’s iconic stature, as driving forces behind its decision to partner with the league:
“The CFL is one of the most iconic brands in all of professional sports and we are thrilled to be partnering with a league so rooted in Canadian culture. The evolving regulatory landscape around sports betting in Canada presents an amazing opportunity to enhance the CFL fan experience. As fellow Canadians, we are excited to apply our decades of experience in this sector to help educate Canadian sports fans on the sports gaming experience, with a particular focus on responsible gaming.”– Michael Mirtl, Chief Executive, BetRegal
Canadian Single-Event Sports Betting Received Royal Decree
The evolving regulatory landscape Bet Regal Chief Executive Michael Mirtl and others are likely referring to is the fact that a bill to legalize single-event sports betting in Canada recently secured Royal Assent, now being ready to be passed into law once the country’s House of Commons has been advised of its details.
Known as the Safe and Regulated Sports Betting Act, Bill C-218 was brought back into discussion in the Canadian parliament in November 2020, following several previously botched attempts to legalize betting on single sports events in Canada.
The bill’s main goal was to repeal paragraph 207(4)(b) of Canada’s Criminal Code — a particularly controversial code which permits consumers to wager only on at least three games or more, meaning that a bet on a single match or event is illegal.
Canada’s Senate in fact passed Bill C-218 in June 2021 by a vote of 57 for and 20 against, following the House of Commons also voting the bill through upon its third reading in April.
And with the bill now having finally received Royal Assent, it will momentarily pass into law, if not already — meaning that Canadians will finally be able to legally place bets on single games or events for the first time.
IBIA Ranked Canada Low Among Regulated Markets
A mild shock to Canada’s regulated betting market arrived in June 2021, when the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA), in collaboration with H2 Gambling Capital, published a report which analyzes regulated iGaming markets worldwide — ranking Canada 19th out of the 20 total countries which were evaluated.
This “first of its kind” report analyzed and ranked 20 regulated online gambling markets based on five distinct criteria: regulation, tax, product availability, integrity and marketing. It also offered a general overview of the global betting market, emphasizing the annual costs incurred due to match-fixing.
While Canada may have ended up being ranked second-lowest on the IBIA’s list, it was nevertheless one of five analyzed markets which was also granted a provisional score. This was likely due to the imminent launch of its long-anticipated legal single-event sports betting market.
PointsBet Has New CCO For Canada
More promising news for the Canadian gambling world also arrived in June 2021, with the appointment of Nic Sulsky as sportsbook operator PointsBet’s new chief commercial officer (CCO).
Prior to joining the US division of PointsBet, Sulsky was the former president of Monkey Knife Fight, which is a daily fantasy sports provider just recently acquired by Bally’s Corporation in January 2021.
Sulsky expressed excitement in taking over the role of Canadian Chief Commercial Officer at PointsBet in the following shared statement:
“I’m thrilled to be joining PointsBet. This is an international company embracing what it means to be Canadian, and its commitment to providing a made-in-Canada platform for Canadian fans was the deciding factor for me in taking on this role.”
