THIS WEEK IN SPORTS BETTING NEWS – JANUARY 28TH, 2022

Chris Altman Sports Betting Expert

4 minute read

LOUISIANA GOES LIVE WITH ONLINE SPORTS BETTING

Louisiana voters in 55 out of 64 parishes opted to legalize sports betting in 2020. Now, as of January 28, 2022, sports betting is online in each of those parishes that voted “yes” back in 2020.

There were quite a few pre-launch offers available in Louisiana, but now that online betting is go, users can take advantage of the standard welcome offers available with a number of online sportsbooks.

They include:

• BetMGM: $1,000 Risk Free Bet with code VIBONUS
• Caesars: $1,500 Deposit Match ($50 Minimum Deposit) with code VIMAXSPORTCZR
• FanDuel: $1,000 Risk Free Bet
• DraftKings: $1,050 in Bet Credits ($1,000 Deposit Bonus + $50 Free Bet)
• BetRivers: 100% First Deposit Match up to $250

The above links will take you to our review pages, which will lead you directly to sign-up pages where you can net exclusive offers using our links. As always, bet responsibly! (T&C’s apply, 21+)

BETMGM TO ENTER ONTARIO MARKET

In 2021, Canada amended their sports betting laws to allow for single event wagers under a bill titled C-218. That bill passed, and now in 2022, we’re seeing the first provinces make their push toward opening a legal, commercial betting market.

Some sports betting websites already spearheaded by the provincial lottery authorities are live and taking bets on single wagers, but some provinces are looking at expanding the market. Ontario is one such province, and it’s looking like BetMGM will be one of the first bookmakers to secure licensure there.

As a matter of fact, BetMGM has already filed a license application with Ontario’s gaming authority, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Commission. Though they’re taking applications, the OLGC is in no way ready to launch a commercial online sports betting market in the province

This means that eligible bettors there will likely have to wait until mid-2022 for variety to start developing in the legal online sports betting market.

ONTARIO COMMERCIAL SPORTS BETTING MARKET MAY EXPERIENCE DELAYS

Great Canadian Gaming (GCC), the largest land-based casino operator in the province of Ontario, is pushing back against the proposed rollout of a commercial sports betting landscape.

Ontario gaming authorities are attempting to open the legal online sports betting market to more than just a lottery-run, provincial provider. This, authorities argue, would bring more tax revenue into the province and help to cut back on offshore gambling, oft-cited reasons for legalizing sports betting.

However, as often happens when states (or provinces, in this case) attempt to legalize online bets, local businesses making money from their in-person betting services are worried that the legalization of online betting could jeopardize their ability to make money.

A few of the requests listed by GCC are listed below; said requests are intended to “level the playing field” for local casinos and betting venues that were operating within the bounds of Canadian law before the changes brought on by August 2021’s C-218.

The GCC requests:

• Comparable tax rates (land-based revenues face a 55% tax rate) for retail operators and iGaming
• Land-based operators receive two years of exclusivity over online betting and gaming
• Online casino licenses to be offered to land-based operators only
• Online betting licenses available in a limited number, with potential tethering requirements

Whether or not these requests will be heard by Ontarian gaming authorities remains to be seen, but we’ll keep you posted for the expected mid-2022 release of commercial betting licenses in the province.

POINTSBET GOES LIVE IN NY

PointsBet is quickly becoming a household name in states with legal sports betting, and now they’re offering their well-known platform in New York.

Users signing up with the PointsBet platform in New York for the first time are entitled to a welcome offer of 2 “risk-free” bets up to $2,000. These bet credits enable the user to place certain types of wagers for the first time with their new accounts and net a certain amount of credit (based on their first deposit amount) if those first ever wagers should lose.

After New York added sports betting revenue to their 2022 Fiscal Year Budget, that was a tacit approval of sports betting from then-Governor Andrew Cuomo. Current Governor Kathy Hochul continues to support the rollout of online betting in the state.

Written by Chris Altman, our US Sports Betting Industry Expert. You can read more about our author’s expertise here.

The featured image for this post was sourced from Wikimedia Commons and can be found here.

Chris Altman

Chris Altman is a sports betting writer and content expert with almost a decade of experience. He's covered everything, but his current focus is on reviewing sportsbooks and online casinos and keeping tabs on sports betting legislation. Chris has been with VegasInsider since 2019 and has freelanced in the sports betting content industry for years. More from Chris Altman