- PointsBet Canada and Alpine Canada Aplin (ACA) have announced a multi-year promotional partnership.
- PointsBet is now the official sportsbook of ACA, governing body for alpine, para-alpine and ski cross racing in Canada.
- There’s been plenty of promotional and sponsorship activity in Canada as Ontario is on the verge of launching a competitive sports betting marketplace.
Canada–and more specifically Ontario–is shaping up to be one of the most active sports betting jurisdictions in North America. Ontario will open the market for sports betting to private operators on April 4, 2022 and while the tax rate is a bit too high (20%) everything else in the regulatory framework looks good. In fact, Ontario could very quickly become the most competitive jurisdiction in North America thanks to a reasonable licensing set up and none of the numerical limits that most US states use to protect their political cronies and financial benefactors.
As a result, you’re seeing increased sponsorship activity up north as sportsbooks look to build a brand. That includes PointsBet’s Canadian subsidary aka PointsBet Canada. Today, PointsBet Canada and the Alpine Canada Alpin (ACA) has announced a multi-year partnership deal that designates the bookmaker as the organization’s ‘official sportsbook’. The deal will begin immediately as we’re in the midst of the 2021-2022 ski season.
ACA is the sanctioning body for competitive skiing in Canada:
Alpine Canada is the governing body for alpine, para-alpine, and ski cross racing in Canada, as well as for Canadian ski coaches, providing education, certification, insurance, and compliance with the coaching code of conduct. With the support of valued corporate partners and donors, along with the Government of Canada, Own the Podium, the Canadian Olympic Committee, and the Coaching Association of Canada, Alpine Canada develops Olympic, Paralympic, World Championship, and World Cup athletes to stimulate visibility, inspiration, and growth in the ski community.
PointsBet has made a lot of progress in the US market despite the dogged determination of regulators in many states to keep everyone with the exception of legacy casino operators–or, even more noxiously their state lottery commission–out. They’ve opened an office in Denver and the company is now in the process of establishing the brand in Canada. You can be sure they’ll launch quickly once Ontario goes live and then it’ll be another battle to open up the lottery dominated markets in provinces all across Canada. They’ve gone out of their way to establish themselves as a ‘Canadian company’:
PointsBet, founded in the mature sports wagering market of Australia, is one of the fastest growing online gaming operators in the United States. The company is now working towards the launch of PointsBet Canada, ultimately bringing their unmatched speed and ease of use, robust in-play capabilities, and the deepest slate of pre-game and in-play betting options to Canadian customers.
Therese Brisson, Alpine Canada’s CEO and President, is happy to have them on board:
“Alpine Canada is thrilled to welcome PointsBet to the ACA corporate family. They are a true Canadian operator in an exciting emerging space, and their support of athletes and the ski community in Canada is a wonderful reflection of that.”
Mags Doehler, VP Partnerships and Marketing at Alpine Canada, concurs:
“It was important for ACA to partner with an operator that had a stellar track record as a safe, legal market operator. As Alpine Canada was considering a sportsbook partnership, we made it a priority that they be Canadian-based and completely committed to safe, legal, responsible gaming and PointsBet Canada checked all of the boxes.”
Scott Vanderwel, Chief Executive Officer of PointsBet Canada, is pleased to partner up with another Canadian sports organization:
“PointsBet Canada is committed to bringing our nation’s fans gold medal experiences, and we are excited to be partnering with our world-class Canadian skiers as they follow their dreams and represent our great country on the world stage.”
Nic Sulsky, Chief Commercial Officer of PointsBet Canada, focused on the upcoming Beijing Olympics 2022:
“Having lived in Mont-Tremblant, I loved watching and cheering on world champions like Erik Guay. The speed and excitement of ski racing is unparalleled, which is why we jumped at the opportunity to partner with Alpine Canada. I cannot wait to cheer on the twenty-one skiers nominated to represent Canada at the Beijing 2022 Olympics and beyond, just like I did when the Canadian Cowboys were dominating the World Cup circuit.”
PointsBet has yet to announce an official launch date for Ontario, but given the amount of brand building they’ve been doing in Canada there’s every reason to think they’ll be ready to go on April 4.
