Could Online CFL Betting Sites Capitalize on the Popularity of Online Casinos?

Online wagering is an extremely popular pastime throughout Canada, and a large number of sports fans will regularly place bets on their favorite leagues and competitions. Although the NFL tends to dominate the betting landscape, as players will naturally prefer to get recruited by the NCAA teams and carry on up the football ladder from there, CFL wagering remains relatively popular, with the Grey Cup understandably producing the highest turnover each year. Despite this, it continues to play second fiddle to online casinos. The popularity of slots and live casino games is at an all-time high, and betting companies should look to capitalize on the iGaming phenomenon in order to attract new customers to their sportsbook product.

Canada is one of the leading gambling regions in the world with the average player spending around CA$50 every time they visit a land-based casino. Online transactions have also exponentially increased over the last decade, and a large number of players prefer to access their favorite games from the comfort of their own home.

This expansion of the industry has helped spawn a number of accessible online casinos such as Spin Palace Canada, and the range of welcome offers and bonuses is substantial. With the likes of Light Casino offering a CA$770 bonus to all new players, and 888 Casino giving away CA$1,500 of credit to newcomers, it’s little wonder that gambling in Canada is thriving. Statistics from 2017 indicated that the industry grossed $31 billion annually, and that figure is highly likely to have increased.

Canadian Football is helped by its national TV exposure across North America. The sport maintains a very loyal fanbase, and with TSN having broadcast the CFC Prospect Game for the first time this summer, interest in the game at all levels continues to go from strength-to-strength.

A little more cross-promotion would surely be beneficial. At the time of writing, it is difficult to find any CFL-specific slots, although NFL and soccer equivalents are widely available. There does appear to be a gap in the market, and Canadian sports fans could be attracted to games which feature some of the division’s biggest stars.

Secondly, the bonuses aren’t as generous as their online casino counterparts, with the majority of sportsbooks offering a maximum of CA$200. Bigger bonuses and lower wagering requirements would perhaps help add to the customer base and attract new players to begin wagering on the CFL each season.

Thirdly, companies such as 888, who currently operate a sportsbook alongside an online casino, offer very little cross-over between their two products. They could make a conscious effort to attract customers to their CFL markets and props ahead of a big game. For example, if you wager CA$20 at the live casino or on any of the video poker slots, you could automatically qualify for a free prop bet on the CFL at the weekend. This would help alert players to the sheer variety of markets on offer, and potentially persuade them to return the following week.

The ease of playing online casino games is a significant draw, and football wagering in Canada cannot be expected to compete with the availability and accessibility of iGaming. However, there appear to be a few ways in which it can piggyback on its success and help increase interest in the vast array of CFL betting opportunities.

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