An overseas sportsbook has formally been informed to knock it off by the Canadian legal system.
A judge for the Court of King's Bench of Manitoba approved an injunction on Monday against Bodog, an online gambling operator based in Antigua and Barbuda.
The registry says the injunction was approved and checked in court. Reasons are to follow at a later date.
Monday's injunction was successfully sought by the government-owned Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries Corp. (MBLL), which alleged Bodog was operating unlawfully in the province. MBLL also claimed that Bodog was diverting service away from its online gaming platform, PlayNow.
PlayNow is the only authorized iGaming site in Manitoba, and its proprietor, MBLL, desires Bodog to stop marketing and operating within the province. On Monday, that is what the court told Bodog to do.
"This court orders and states that the Respondents have no lawful authority to offer online betting services and products, whether through bodog.eu, bodog.net or any other associated follower or replacement sites, or to promote such online product or services to individuals located in Manitoba, as such activities are contrary to sections 201, 202, and 206 of the Criminal Code," Monday's order said.
- Government-owned Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries Corp. has actually obtained a court injunction against Antigua and Barbuda-based Bodog.
- The Crown corporation is trying to stop Bodog from marketing and operating in the Canadian province, declaring the offshore sportsbook and gambling establishment gaming website is breaking the law and diverting service far from MBLL's PlayNow platform.
- The injunction is a possibly precedent-setting development for Canada, which has a huge "grey market" for online gaming.
The injunction obtained on Monday was filed on behalf of the Canadian Lottery Coalition, an advocacy group that includes several government-owned video gaming corporations, including MBLL.
Those lotteries have been pushing back against overseas iGaming operators in Canada. A court injunction against Bodog might now set an essential precedent.
That is because, with the exception of Ontario, the bulk of online gaming in Canada occurs in the so-called "grey market."
The term reflects online gambling happening on sites that may be regulated abroad or outside a specific province, however not by the province where the bets are actually being placed. Those "grey" sites compete for service with provincially controlled websites like PlayNow.
Truly incorrect
Offshore operators have actually been allowed to take bets from Canadians for many years without much commotion being made. That has started to change, however, particularly given that the decriminalization of single-game sports betting in Canada in 2021, and the launch of a competitive iGaming market in Ontario in 2022.
Monday's order states that Bodog marketing its websites to anybody in Manitoba as "genuine, lawful, 'safe', or 'trusted'" constitutes a "incorrect and misleading representation," contrary to Canadian law. Moreover, it says the Bodog-related entities, "as operators of unapproved and illegal gaming websites" in Manitoba, have actually "engaged in tortious conduct by committing the unlawful methods tort."
Bodog did not react to an ask for comment before this story was published.
The order provided Monday likewise noted that no one appeared in court on behalf of the Bodog-related respondents, Il Nido Ltd. and Sanctum IP Holdings Ltd. This was despite those companies being "properly served," the order says.
Offshore sportsbook Bodog is informing customers that it is leaving the Canadian province of Nova Scotia in early October. Adds "we'll be monitoring your province for regulative changes."
The only operator that is regulated locally in NS is Atlantic Lottery Corp.'s PRO • LINE. pic.twitter.com/FE8fni0s53
The long-term injunction given by the Manitoba court requires all Bodog-related entities to stop operating in a manner that is accessible to Manitobans and to stop advertising to people in the province. The court is also telling Bodog to put "geo-blocking innovation" in place to prevent anybody in Manitoba from accessing the operator's websites.
Whether Bodog abide by the injunction stays to be seen. However, the business has actually pulled out of other provinces in the past.
Most notably, the overseas sportsbook says it no longer accepts gamers from Nova Scotia and Quebec. The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario also recently contacted media and asked "to stop promoting unregulated online betting and sports wagering websites" like Bodog.
