The Ottawa Redblacks are also making their preparations for the long-awaited launch of Ontario’s open iGaming market for private operators. On Thursday, last week, the football team announced that it has struck an agreement with PointsBet Canada, thus making the Ontario-licensed sportsbook an official sports betting partner of the team for the season.

PointsBet is an Australian sportsbook, and its division PointsBet Canada has recently announced that it has been approved by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario to join the new iGaming market. The open sports betting and interactive gaming regime kicks off on April 4, 2022, and the company will join along with at least 20 other regulated sportsbooks.

Broader Brand Exposure

Through this new partnership, PointsBet Canada’s logo will be displayed on Ottawa Redblacks’ kits for the duration of the season. In addition to that, the company will be promoted across TD Place. It is worth mentioning, that the leading sportsbook will become the new presenting sponsor of the PointsBet Sideline Club with over 800 seats at TD Place.

Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group’s President and CEO Mark Goudie commented that the sportsbook is getting prime real estate as a sponsor on the team’s jerseys and the PointsBet Sideline Club. He explained that the agreement is a statement of the company’s commitment to establishing their brand in the country and Ottawa as part of the RNation.

Nic Sulsky, Chief Commercial Officer of PointsBet Canada, indicated that a partnership with the Ottawa Redblacks was one of its priorities. Mr. Sulsky noted that as many operators are focused on southern Ontario, the company knows how passionate are the Ottawa fans. He said that the idea is to engage more people in wagering, while also establishing the firm’s brand in the Ottawa region for the decades to come.

The CCO has also made it clear that the company is taking responsible gaming and consumer protections quite seriously. He explained that one of the sportsbook’s main objectives when building its brand is to provide safe products for players to wager on. He expects fierce competition in the market but believes that the partnership with Redblacks will only help the company.

More from PointsBet

Back in 2021, PointsBet has inked an agreement to become the official and exclusive sports betting partner of Dailyfaceoff.com and The Nation Network. The arrangements were officially announced on September 29, 2021, and will run over the course of a few years. Mr. Sulsky said that the company’s notion was to create a connection and engagement with sports fans in the country and both companies were the perfect candidates.

On a more recent note, the company has also recently shared its plans to explore Alberta’s online sports betting sector. The sportsbook is willing to operate in the Calgary-Edmonton Corridor and cited that the province has a huge sports fan base as well as a business-friendly environment, due to competitive tax rates and a diverse workforce.

Source: Baines, Tim “BOOK IT!: Partnership with PointsBet Canada a big deal for Ottawa Redblacks”, Sudbury Star, March 24, 2022