One indirect benefit with the launch of regulated Ontario sports betting sites has been a bounty of media jobs that have emerged from them.
BetRivers is the latest to make a big hire, with the news they’ve brought on sports talk radio vet Bob McCown. For three decades McCown was on the air at the FAN 590 in Toronto for their primetime show and was arguably the biggest sports media personality in Toronto for a long period. McCown told The Athletic in 2020 that he didn’t resign or retire from that job – he was fired.
McCown joins former TSN hosts Dan O’Toole and Natasha Staniszewski at BetRivers Sportsbook Ontario as a brand ambassador.
It’s a multi-year deal where he’ll represent the brand through various commercials and create exclusive content for the BetRivers Network. As part of that, The Bob McCown Podcast will air across the BetRivers Network.
“If there's one thing I've learned through my career, it’s that sports fans want to go beyond surface level game calls and get into what’s really driving their favorite players,” McCown said in a statement. “I’m thrilled to team up with an industry leader like BetRivers and work with them on delivering the insights and stories Canadians really want to hear.”
Ontario Q2 Numbers Released
At the industry’s G2E summit in Las Vegas, Canadian officials released some numbers for the second quarter of 2022 (July 1 to Sept. 30) for iGaming and sports betting combined (separate numbers were not released).
According to IGaming Ontario, there was $6.04 billion wagered (in Canadian dollars) on online casino and sports combined, for $267 million in total revenues. There were 24 operators with 42 websites (operators can have more than one website) with an average spend of $142 per month per account spread over more than 628,000 active accounts.
Stay tuned to OntarioBets.com for more details.
Safe Environment A Focus For Rivalry
Rivalry Corp. announced it has received the RG Check Accreditation for its online casino Ontario site from the Responsible Gambling Council. That’s a comprehensive responsible gambling accreditation that provides iGaming sites with the tools to evaluate, monitor and manage gambling risk.
“Receiving our RG Check Accreditation is important for us as it signals to our customers, the gambling industry, and the gaming and esports community more broadly, our continued dedication to creating a safe environment for customers to play in,” Steven Salz, co-founder and CEO of Rivalry, said in a statement. “RG Check is the gold standard in player protection accreditation as it pertains to responsible gambling controls. It is our duty to educate and inform our players so that they can make informed decisions about their gambling play.”
Check with OntarioBets.com for the best Ontario casino apps throughout the province.
Leafs Open Regular Season Against Habs
The Blue Jays were eliminated from the MLB playoffs on Saturday, meaning the eyes of Toronto sports fans now turn longingly to the Maple Leafs. The Leafs open their 2022-23 NHL regular season tonight against the Canadiens, 7 p.m., in Montreal.
All eyes this season, from an Ontario NHL betting perspective, will be on the Leafs’ goaltending. It seems to be a patchwork situation with Matt Murray and Ilya Samsonov splitting the duties.
The Leafs are favored tonight, as they should be. DraftKings Sportsbook Ontario has the moneyline as the Leafs -260, Habs +220, with the Over 6.5 getting 62% of the handle and 61% of the bets as of Wednesday afternoon. The Goal Line is Leafs -1.5, Habs +1.5 (with 74% of the handle and 75% of bets on Toronto).
One of the most bet player props is Auston Matthews Over 4.5 shots on goal at +105.
