Since Ontario’s iGaming and sports betting industry opened on 4 April 2022, PointsBet Canada has been on a rollercoaster ride filled with twists and turns.
PointsBet Canada’s Time in Ontario
Since hiring a new chief executive officer, Scott Vanderwel, and opening a Toronto office the previous summer, PointsBet Canada’s goal of dominating the market in the territory has been reliant on its drive to be really Canadian. PointsBet is also operational in the US through Pennsylvania and New Jersey and was able to compete with the biggest brands in the industry. Check out this review by iGamingPA to learn more about PointsBet’s performance in the US market.
PointsBet Canada has been occupied with forming strategic partnerships in Canada, among which are Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, the owner of many teams in Ontario, including the TSN, Toronto Argonauts, Toronto Raptors, and Toronto Maple Leafs. PointsBet Canada was one of the first operators to go live on April 4 and one of the first operators to obtain an Alcohol and Gaming Commission license.
Only a small number of the 53 Canadian workers of PointsBet had previous live gaming employment experience before this debut. The staff is still learning as they go, but Nic Sulsky, the chief commercial officer of PointsBet Canada, said that the early results from the hiring of local talent have been exceptional.
He said that the company’s staff is made up entirely of individuals who are not based in the United States or overseas and who lack years of expertise in managing marketing, and payment. That is being handled in real-time by the entire crew. He expressed his admiration and pride for their ability to maintain attention and control their adrenaline without physically falling off their chairs.
PointsBet Canada is Surpassing Initial Expectations
Contrary to several of the current daily fantasy operators that have been working across Canada for a long time, PointsBet Canada began operations in Ontario without a user database. In terms of user perception, the sportsbook’s average first-time deposit and active bet count are greater than PointsBet Canada had anticipated they would be up to this point. According to Sulsky, the business is really happy with its first few months on the market.
These preliminary statistics, in Sulsky’s opinion, are positive, and the data indicates that players will continue to use the sportsbook in the months and years to come. He points out that the Ontario market is already crowded with experienced sports bettors, and he thinks they’ll like PointsBet’s high-caliber offering. Customized sportsbook offerings for Canada and Ontario, as well as simple deposit and withdrawal processes, can persuade novice sports bettors to try PointsBet’s offering as well.
Sulsky stated that the company knows that the sports fans in Ontario will tilt disproportionately toward Ontario teams. It will be a marathon, not a sprint, in this market.
When the market made its debut, several operators, including BetRivers and PROLINE +, stated that Ontario bettors were showing a significant interest in basketball. Basketball is a very popular segment of PointsBet’s offerings, according to Sulsky.