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Global sportsbook giant bet365 wasn’t quite ready to launch its Alberta site when the province officially opened its regulated online iGaming market on July 13. But, bet365 Sportsbook has finally kicked off its Canada sports betting operations, and it is betting big on the Canadian Football League.
The CFL is the most uniquely Canadian league to exist within the country, with a tradition that stretches back more than a century. Hockey may be Canada’s biggest game, but the NHL is a league that is shared with the United States. Major League Baseball’s Toronto Blue Jays are a bigger TV draw, but that team is the only Canadian entry in a US-dominated circuit.
By establishing itself as the CFL’s official partner, bet365 is tugging on the heartstrings of Canadian sports fans.
According to spokesperson Hope Newman, “bet365’s partnership with the CFL is a reflection of the platform’s long-term investment in Canadian sports and the communities that support them.”
The site will have a major presence at the 113th annual Grey Cup championship game, to be held Nov. 15 in Calgary, Alberta’s largest city. But, bet365’s final plans for that game have yet to be announced.
And bet365 is hoping not just to be a destination for CFL fans to place bets, but a real source of information about the league.
“As an official sports betting and online casino partner of the CFL in Ontario and Alberta, bet365 is connecting with football fans through premium CFL content, broadcast-visible media, digital storytelling, and select fan-facing experiences throughout the season,” said Newman.“bet365 will also be the title sponsor of the upcoming All-CFL Fan Vote Program.”
Online gambling in Canada is only regulated and fully legal in two provinces, Alberta and Ontario. But those two provinces host five of the CFL’s nine teams — Alberta is home to the Calgary Stampeders and Edmonton Elks, while Ontario is home to the Toronto Argonauts, Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Ottawa Redblacks.
CFL games are drawing an average of about 22,000 fans per game so far this season, but the league is on a push to expand, with many stories circling about Quebec City soon hosting the circuit’s 10th franchise.
The site offers a detailed range of CFL betting options. There are alternative spreads, parlays, alternative total scores and prop bets on touchdown scorers. And, the Alberta site’s architecture has the CFL listed ahead of the U.S. giant National Football League.
